


The Paths We Chose

by Jamdropx35



Category: Far Cry 5
Genre: AU, Definitely AU, F/M, I try to do a slow burn, Kind of a coffee shop AU if you squint, M/M, One of those "the cult didn't happen" AU's, Starting as a teen and up but will probably progress into something higher later, UPPED THE RATING DUE TO NUDITY, tw ptsd
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-19
Updated: 2018-05-18
Packaged: 2019-04-25 00:59:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 27,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14367489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jamdropx35/pseuds/Jamdropx35
Summary: AU - Sheriff Earl Whitehorse wants to retire next year, so he needs to find another Deputy so he can promote Hudson. Rookie Deputy Ronnie Maxwell sounds good to Ronnie, and so does Hope County, with it's small town feel and peaceful atmosphere. Here she can heal and grow and maybe finally settle down.The Seed family moved in about a year ago, and Joseph opened up a coffee shop called "Eden's Gate", and he's just happy to be there, with his family, while they all work on their issues. But John is still tormented by his sins, still carrying the emotional scarring from his childhood, and Jacob is still struggling with his PTSD, and Faith is still struggling with her addiction, even if she's clean today.It started as a Coffee Shop AU, but then exploded into something else.





	1. Just Dip Your Toes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Far Cry, or anything Far Cry affiliated.  
> I only own Ronnie.
> 
> Welcome, and please enjoy :)

Sheriff Earl Whitehorse raised a hand and tipped his hat as a farewell to the young woman he had just interviewed as she drove away. She was on the shorter side, probably only 5’5, but what she lacked in height she would make up for in sass and determination; exactly what was needed to counter softer Pratt and harder Hudson. His two deputy’s, as if conjured by thought, were waiting for him as he re-entered the prison, ready with questions.

  
He held up a hand to stop them before they could start, “Yep, I think we found our new Junior Deputy”.

  
Pratt grinned, while Hudson just nodded. “I read her resume,” the dark-haired woman started, “Eight years military service, and four years working in child protective services? She’s probably more qualified than Pratt” Whitehorse glanced at Pratt, who shrugged, seemingly unphased by Joey’s comment, before moving past his two deputies to enter his office.

  
“I think she’ll fit in just fine” The younger deputy added, smile evident in his voice. Whitehorse turned in time to see Hudson roll her eyes at Pratt’s optimistic nature. Earl had to agree though, he also thought that Verona Maxwell would do just fine.

* * *

  
Rookie Deputy Verona Maxwell. Ronnie toyed with the title in her head and said it a few times out loud to herself, chuckling at how official it sounded. She smoothed her short blonde hair, again, and checked her uniform for the fifth time before cracking her knuckles, grabbing her keys and leaving her new home to jump into her old, beaten orange pickup truck.

  
The trip to the Hope County Jail was not a long one, about 20 minutes, although there were back roads that Ronnie was sure she would learn over time. She pulled up in the car park just as one of the other deputies got out of their car, so she smiled and waved at him; he responded brightly and waited for her to park and get out. “I’m Staci Pratt, you must be Verona?”

  
“Just Ronnie, Verona was my Grandmothers name, so it sounds a bit old lady-ish to me” Staci chuckled, and held out his hand, which Ronnie eagerly shook.  
“Okay ‘just Ronnie’, welcome to Hope County, let me show you where we set up shop”. Pratt guided her into the jail, introducing her to Nancy, the sweet older lady who ran dispatch, and pointing out points of interest and things to remember. When he opened the door to their bull pen, where the other Deputy was set up, he stepped back to set up his own desk.

  
“I’m Hudson, Joey Hudson, welcome to Hope County,” The shook hands, and Hudson showed Ronnie to her desk, “Whitehorse will be here soon, we’ll do a quick debrief, then you and the Sheriff will head on out and start meeting the town, letting them know there’s a new deputy in town. Around 2pm, you’ll head back, and we’ll show you how we run this place”

  
“The entire town is really excited to meet you,” Staci told her, sitting on the edge of his desk, “which you may already know, if you’ve made it in to town… how many days have you been here now?”

  
Ronnie smiled, “Today is day 3, technically. Before I moved, I came out to inspect the house with Adelaide Drubman, and then the second time I came in for the interview. I moved into the new place three days ago, I’ve done a few trips down to the general store, but that’s about it… Haven’t really met anyone yet,” Pratt and Hudson looked a bit confused, “The house I bought… it required a lot of work, so I’ve been a bit busy…”

  
“You didn’t buy that run-down place off the main drag near Red’s Farm supplies, did you?” Hudson asked, warily.

  
Ronnie blushed, “it’s small enough for one person, and was super cheap,” Hudson threw her arms in the arm and groaned, while Pratt just rubbed his forehead awkwardly, “What?! What’s wrong with the place?”

  
“I’m gonna kill Adelaide, what a dick move,” Hudson said to Pratt, rolling her eyes, before addressing Ronnie again, “Adelaide’s been trying to sell that place for 18 months now. The last owner died, messily, and the family had to hire professional cleaners to… uh... get the smell out? But while they were trying to get rid of it, a family of skunks got in there, and then got kicked out by a wild turkey… which was super aggressive – the town even named it, it was so infamous. Tommy the Turkey”

  
Ronnie stared at her, wide eyed “I’m sorry… what? Did you just… make that all up? Is this some kind of weird hazing thing?”

  
Pratt laughed outright, and Hudson chuckled, “I wish. Just… if you see a mean looking turkey around there… just… be careful. It almost dropped Hurk, and he’d be at least double your weight,” Pratt tapped Hudsons’ arm excitedly, “Hey, maybe the run in with Sharkys’ flamethrower actually killed old Tommy?!”

  
They began to talk excitedly about the possibility of Tommy being exterminated, and just as Ronnie lost track of whether they were pro dead Tommy or not, Sheriff Whitehorse entered the bullpen, followed by Nancy. “Morning team, Rookie, good to see you getting acquainted,” Hudson and Pratt grinned at the Sheriff, before following him into the small office that Whitehorse occupied.

  
“First things first, Rooks first day, gonna take her around and introduce her to people, help her find her bearings, so on. Second thing, Pratt, you’re gonna go up and check in on Eli Palmer today. He’s been threatening to make a complaint about Jacob Seeds’ dogs again. Go up and see if you can’t see what his complaints are this time, and then check in with Jacob and check out whether the complaints are valid,” Pratt nodded and Ronnie saw Hudson smirk at him, which he ignored, “Lastly, Hudson, need you to check in on Larry Parker,” Hudson groaned, “we got a noise complaint. But, after that, Rae Rae needs help with what she thinks is a bear over at the pumpkin farm” Hudson seemed to perk up after that, nodding once.

  
Nancy moved to the door, “As always, I’ll be on the radio. Have fun today” and then she was gone. Hudson rolled her shoulders and said goodbye, followed quickly by Pratt, who gave Ronnie a grin and a pat on the shoulder.

  
Whitehorse turned to Ronnie, “Alright kid, let’s go start with coffee. Easiest way to meet people and start the day”

* * *

  
Once in the car, Whitehorse explained a few things about the town, laughing occasionally about the antics that the youth around town got up to – same things that he used to get up to, 50 years ago, “kids don’t change, do they?” – and pointing out things to remember – “don’t use that walking trail unless you’re armed, there are cougars” and “that road there leads to the F.A.N.G. Centre”. Then he started talking about the people, “Mary May runs the ‘Spread Eagle’ bar. We normally do a trip round there every Friday and Saturday night, around 10, make sure no one does anything stupid”, “Those signs for State Senator? Yeah, that’s old Hurk Drubman, Senior. He’s harmless, if a bit hard to handle if you’re even the slightest bit untraditional, but harmless none the less”

  
Whitehorse obviously knew everyone and was fair in the information he gave Ronnie. “Then there’s the Seed family. The Seeds moved into the County about a year ago – started with Joseph, he runs the coffee shop we’re headed to now. Faith followed him about a month later and she works in the coffee shop too. John and Jacob moved in about six months ago – John bought that big ranch out past Falls End, calls it Seed Ranch now. Jacob lives up in the Whitetail Mountains. They’re good folk, for the most part. If there’s ever a problem with Jacob, call in Pratt, those two seem to have an agreement of some kind, or find Grace Armstrong or Joseph Seed, they can talk him out of almost anything”

“Has Jacob caused problems?” Ronnie asked, as they approached Falls End.

  
“Nah, not problems, just makes people nervous I suppose. Jacob has PTSD, did a few tours here and there. He’s a good man, fiercely loyal to his family, but not a people person on the whole. Prefers animals, and breeds dogs on his property – hence the complaint that Pratt is working on this morning. Eli Palmer and Jacob Seed do not get along”

  
They made it into town and pulled up in front of a small coffee shop, with a sign saying “Eden’s Gate” above the doorway in black classic text. Whitehorse got out and Ronnie followed him into the cosy building, heading up to the counter behind the Sheriff, who was talking to a stunning young woman with blonde hair that she wore down. She greeted Whitehorse cheerfully, “Hey Sheriff! Just the usual today?”

  
“You bet, Faith. Also came by to introduce my new deputy, Verona Maxwell”

  
Faith beamed at Ronnie, who immediately corrected the Sheriff, “Just Ronnie, if that’s OK?” Whitehorse nodded at her, and Faith held her hand out over the counter.

“Hi Ronnie, I’m Faith! Welcome to Hope County! What kind of coffee?” Ronnie ordered a latte and Faith moved over to start making both the latte and Sheriffs usual, while Whitehorse moved over to introduce her to the three people sitting around the café. The first was Wade Fowler, the man who ran the F.A.N.G. centre and invited her to come up and meet the local celebrity ‘Cheeseburger’ the bear. The next person was Fred Wolfe, a local who worked over at the lumber yard. The last person Whitehorse introduced her to was Jerome Jeffries, the local Pastor.

  
Whitehorse and the Pastor had started to talk about the mass on Sunday would focus on when Faith approached them with two coffees in take away cups, moving like a dancer as she did. “Josephs just out the back, Sheriff, if you wait a moment, I’ll go get him so he can meet the new deputy too!” Sheriff Whitehorse nodded and smiled softly while Faith left them again, drifting into the back rooms, before reappearing with a tall man, hair pulled back into a small man bun, and sporting yellow sunglasses on his crown.  
He smiled softly at Ronnie, and welcomed her to Hope County, his intense blue eyes seeming to bore into her soul, making her feel like maybe he could see something that others couldn’t. Joseph and Jerome talked with Whitehorse for a few minutes, before the Sheriff advised that they should probably hit the road, as they had plenty more introductions to do.

  
Joseph took her hand when they went to leave, “I hope you find the same peace that I found here in Hope County” he told her, maintaining that intense eye contact, and he smiled softly as she thanked him, and moved away so that Faith could envelop her in a quick hug.

  
Once they were back in the Sheriffs’ truck, Ronnie cracked her knuckles and looked at Whitehorse, obviously sporting a confused expression, as Whitehorse chuckled, “yeah, Joseph Seed’s a bit intense. All the Seed family is, probably should have warned ya, sorry Rook”

  
“Yeah, probably should have warned me… Jesus” Ronnie mumbled, downing more of her coffee in an attempt to shake the odd feeling that Joseph had left with her.

“Shake it off, kid, more introductions to get through yet” Whitehorse tried to be encouraging, but Ronnie just groaned.

* * *

  
After meeting all the locals in Falls End, Whitehorse took Rook out to the Rye house, and asked Ronnie if she knew how to fly before they got out of the truck, to which she responded a sad no. “I always wanted to learn, but it just… wasn’t in the cards for me”. Whitehorse seemed to think on this a bit but shook it off quickly.

  
He knocked on the door, which was answered by a woman, almost the same height as Rook, with a noticeably round stomach. “Sheriff? Please tell me Nick hasn’t done something again?”

  
Whitehorse chuckled, and took off his hat, “No ma’am, no trouble today. Just swinging past to introduce you to our new Deputy, Ronnie Maxwell” Ronnie stepped up onto the porch, and offered her hand, while Kim looked visibly relieved.

  
“Oh thank God,” She shook Ronnie’s extended hand, “Hey Deputy, good to meet you, come inside!”

  
Kim and Ronnie got along immensely well, and after they’d been sitting at the table for about ten minutes, Kim mentioned Nick was in the hanger, and Whitehorse excused himself to go grab him, so they could be on their way.

  
Whitehorse entered again a few minutes later, trailed by a tall man, with long hair covered by a baseball hat, an oil stained shirt and a ripped flannelette shirt over the top, who introduced himself as “Nick Rye, King of the Skies”

  
Kim rolled her eyes good-naturedly, and chucked under her breath, while Rook just grinned.

  
They stayed at the Rye house another few minutes, and Kim made Rook promise that she would come back for dinner the following evening.

  
When they were back in the truck, Whitehorse turned to her, “See why I save the Rye’s for after Joseph?”

* * *

  
The first week went on without any issues – mostly it was just Whitehorse, Hudson and Pratt introducing Ronnie to almost every local in the County – Sharky Boshaw had volunteered to help by taking her around on one of her days off, which Hudson had refused for her- and getting her used to where everything was situated, as well as how they did things. Ronnie was a quick learner and was picking it up quick enough for even Hudson to be pleased.

  
“Well kid, you survived the first week, how do you feel?”

  
Ronnie beamed at Whitehorse as she closed the door behind her, the older man settling down into the chair behind his desk.

  
“I feel good Sheriff, thank you. I’m really enjoying it, and obviously I love the county, it’s too beautiful to not love it” Whitehorse chuckled, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the desk. He knew his county was beautiful and enjoyed when other people shared his opinion.

  
“I hear ya’, it’s a damn sight more beautiful out here than it is in those big cities. Look rook, I’ll be real,” Whitehorse lifted his hat, running his hand over his balding crown before replacing his hat, “I think you’re a good fit and Hudson and Pratt are gonna need you once I retire next year. So, if you’re happy to stay, I’m happy to keep you”

Rook grinned and extended her hand, which Whitehorse stood to shake, “Thank you Sheriff. I definitely think I’m here to stay”

  
Whitehorse called out for Pratt and Hudson to join them, and he poured four glasses of the whiskey he kept in his bottom drawer. Joey shook the rookies hand, and Staci patted her on the back.

* * *

  
It was the Tuesday night of her second week as Deputy when Rook encountered her first small hiccup. She was in Falls end, loading up a few supplies into the tray of her pickup before heading home – including a much-required tub of triple choc fudge ‘death by chocolate’ ice cream – when someone called for her.

  
“Rookie, hey, Rookie!” ignoring the sarcastic remark about her title being ‘deputy’ not ‘rookie’, Ronnie turned, greeting Mary May with a small smile as they met in the middle of the road between the small general store and the ‘Spread Eagle’. She was about to ask what the problem was when two fully grown men tumbled out the doors of the Eagle, landing on the front porch. Mary May groaned, and rubbed her forehead before grimacing at Ronnie, “These two jokers have had probably a bit too much, and they’re talking about driving home. I’m so sorry to ask, but I’ve gotta stay with the Eagle- Do you reckon you can get them home?”

  
Ronnie stared at the two grown men, easily recognizing Nick Rye by the ripped flannelette over shirt and the long hair. The second man looked familiar, but she couldn’t place a name to the face – not unusual considering how many people she’d met over the last week or so. She glanced briefly at her watch, grunting when she realised it was only 8:30.  
“How did these two end up this far gone, it’s so early?” Her nose wrinkled in confusion as Nick tried to help the other man up from the floor, but both fell back down in hysterical laughter.

  
Mary May shrugged, “I honestly do not know, they’re normally not like this. I’m so sorry”.

  
Ronnie sighed, “Alright, let’s load them into the truck,” She cracked her knuckles before grumbling, “Lord help them if they throw up”.

  
Mary May and Ronnie headed over to Nick and his companion, and Nick greeted them both with a sloppy smile, “Hey Deputy!” his speech was fairly slurred, but he seemed willing to co-operate when Mary May helped him up and threw his arm around her shoulders, dragging him the few metres to Ronnie’s truck. Ronnie offered her hand to the man trying to work his way to his knees and was shocked when he looked up to lock his blue, blue eyes on her.

  
“Deputy? You’re not Hudson” his words didn’t slur, despite the fact that his cheeks were flushed, and his eyes were lidded and foggy. Ronnie raised an eyebrow and hesitated before frowning and grabbing his hand when he didn’t move to take her extended one. She hauled him up, moving his arm over her shoulders and taking the brunt of his weight.

  
Ronnie glanced at her truck to see Mary May pushing Nick into the back seat before replying to her new friend, “yeah, I’m the new deputy, started last week. Ronnie Maxwell, I’m sure it would’ve been lovely to meet you a few hours ago”. They had managed to stumble over to her truck, and Mary May came over to help load him into the truck.

Nick guffawed at her comment, having obviously overheard, “Trust me, Dep, John Seed is never lovely to meet”

  
John didn’t miss a beat as he bit back, “Oh, and you’re such a shining example of humanity, Rye?” he pushed Mary May’s hand away as she tried to clip in his seat belt for him, and he did it himself, on the third go.

  
John Seed, Josephs’ younger brother. Ronnie eyed John again – it made sense now why he looked so familiar. Ronnie was sure that she’d seen him once or twice in Josephs little coffee shop but had never been introduced.

  
“Thank you again for this, Deputy, you’re a lifesaver!” Mary May told her, before turning around and heading back into her bar. Deputy sighed and moved around the truck to jump into the drivers seat.

  
It wasn’t until she started the truck that she realised that her ice cream was definitely going to be melted by the time she got home.

  
She cracked her knuckles and pulled out onto the road, “Alright, Nick first. Let’s do this. No vomiting”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
> So, I've been thinking about this ever since a saw a beautiful head canon for a coffee shop AU on Tumblr. This has been bouncing around my head for days now, and when I finally sat down to write it out, I hated it, and so redid it entirely, and still don't know how I feel about it, but hey, maybe someone will enjoy it.  
> Please, if you have any kind of ideas or opinions, please throw them at me!  
> I'm serious about trying a slow burn though. John is pretty messed up, so that would of course take a lot of time!
> 
> Anyway, let me know if you like it, or not.  
> Hopefully you enjoy it!  
> Thanks,  
> Jamdrop.


	2. Don't Dive Right In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A dark shape on a golden floor,  
> A sleeping planet with a molten core,  
> From above we cut a slow eight shape,  
> and much more.  
> ...  
> The Golden Floor - Snow Patrol.
> 
> I don't own Far Cry, or anything Far Cry affiliated. I just cry a lot, and own Ronnie.

“Your plane is a piece of shit, Rye, don’t even try to deny it”

It had been approximately 30 seconds, and already Rook was wishing she was _anywhere else_ rather than her own truck, and she was pretty sure that before they could get to Nick’s place, which was a 5 minute drive from Falls End, that there would be a physical fight.

Particularly if John _kept talking_.

“Carmena?! A piece of shit?” Nick went from shocked to furious within seconds, smacking John anywhere that could reach from his seat in the back, “Take it back, you _fuck_! She’s the best plane in the county! That’s why you try to shotgun pilot whenever we go out flying”

John was throwing his arms out to avoid Nick’s awkward attempt at hitting him, “I shotgun pilot because you fly like you’re trying to kill us!”

“I’m the best damn pilot in the County and you know it”

“That is definitely **not** something that I know. Because I **know** that I am a better pilot than you”

“Bull-fucking-shit. You're livin' on Mars, ‘cause there is no way on God’s green Earth that you’re a better pilot than me”

“You wanna bring God into this? Cause God is definitely on my side”

“SHUT. UP. _Jesus Christ_ ,” Rook yelled, throwing her arm out to stop Nicks’ attempts to hit John, which just ended up hitting her, “You’re grown ass men, not bloody children!”

Nicks arms slowly lowered, and he looked like he might try and say something before he reconsidered and looked sheepishly out the window, while John just stared at Rook, deep in thought.

As they pulled into Nicks driveway, John finally spoke “So you don’t like kids?”

Ronnie groaned as Nick began to babble in horror, “Oh Jesus, you don’t like kids?! Dammit Rook! Kim really liked you, you know?! She was getting excited to show you all the bab-”

“I love kids, Nick, you have nothing to worry about! John is being a dick” Rook tried to calm Nick, but he continued to babble about baby clothes, the nursery, Kim and pregnancy hormones.

“Actually, I was just genuinely curious, thank you,” John offered with a shrug, “Not my fault Nick’s an overly sensitive drunk”

Ronnie stopped in front of the Rye house and lay her head on the steering wheel for a moment before unclipping her seatbelt and sliding out of the car.

Her ice cream was _definitely_ melting.

She opened Nicks door and helped him out, reassuring him all the way to his front door that she loved kids, and would love to be around Kim and Nick, even after the baby was born. Kim opened the door before they even made it up the stairs on the porch, with a soft sigh of “Jesus, Nick”, before stepping out of the way so Ronnie could throw Nick onto the couch.

“No damage or anything like that, just safer if I brought them home” Rook explained, when Kim opened her mouth to ask. The pregnant woman sighed in relief, and then looked at the car, finding John playing with the radio – he waved pleasantly when he saw her.

“Those two. Nick and John started flying together about four months ago, and they’ve been borderline inseparable since,” Kim smiled affectionately at John, who was now rifling through the glove box, and rubbed her tummy absentmindedly before turning to Nick, who was now flopping around on the couch, trying to tug his shoes off, “We’re thinking about asking him to be godfather. He’s been really excited about the baby since he first found out”

Ronnie smiled at this soft, domestic version of Kim. The two times she’d had dinner here so far had always seen Kim loud and funny and fierce. Ronnie very much liked both sides of Kim, and was excited that Kim seemed to like her in return. It was good to have friends. Kim chuckled as Nick started to snore, having managed to get one boot off and apparently given up on the other.

Ronnie smiled at the sleeping man on the couch, before eyeing John in the car again, “Time for me to head off, I think. Still gotta get him back home…before he starts destroying things in my truck. I’ll probably swing by some time tomorrow just to check in, if that’s OK?”

Kim smiled, walking with Ronnie to the door, “Of course, any time is fine with us. I’ll probably be making pancakes for him in the morning – it’s what he likes when he’s hungover”

“You’re too good to him, Kim. I’d be making him make me pancakes” Ronnie threw over her shoulder as she jumped into her truck.

“You’ve never had Nick’s pancakes” both John and Kim replied in unison, before grinning at each other.

“See you later Kimiko” Johns’ face was still a bit flushed and his smile seemed a bit sloppy, but his eyes were losing some of the cloudiness as he said farewell out the window, and Rook figured the cool night air was obviously helping to sober him up a little.

The soft, slow music made Ronnie’s skin start to crawl and she quickly turned the radio off as she pulled away from the Rye house. John raised an eyebrow before opening his mouth to ask a question – Ronnie tried to give him a look to shut him up, but it had seemingly no effect – “No music huh? No music, no kids, no wedding ring, or even a tan line from a wedding ring that’s been removed… what’s your deal, Rook?”

Ronnie guffawed, probably unattractively but she hardly cared, “All that summed up from knowing me for about, what, half an hour?” She checked her watch, “Yeah, half a freaking hour and you’ve got me all figured out?”

John rubbed his face, shrugging, “Not hardly. You’re a human being, you’re more intricate than half an hour. It’d probably take a few hours or a few days, depending on how much you spoke, whether the right questions were asked, the circumstances and so on,” Ronnie raised an eyebrow, but John continued, his hands tapping a beat along the dashboard as he spoke, “But now’s as good a time as any to start to get to know each other. For instance, everyone in town thinks that because I’m a single, wealthy man, I must be looking to get hitched and start breeding, which is not true”

Ronnie laughed at that, “’It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man, in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife’. Don’t worry, it’s not just men”. Ronnie brushed her hair out of her eyes, throwing a small smile over to John, who looked impressed.

“Austen, a classic. Turn left here,” he directed before sighing, “I’m not surprised that everyone is throwing their unmarried cousins, and sons, and best friends sisters uncles at you. These people seem obsessed with getting single people to marry,” John huffed, resting his hand against his temple, “it appears Jane Austen was correct, everyone seems to think they know that every single person who rocks up in their town wants to get married. The offers slow down after about six months… although I guess you moving into town had something to do with that”

“Yeah, I’m taking all the heat for you. You’re welcome,” John dipped his head in thanks, “See, we’re already getting to know each other. Not even forty minutes in and you owe me a favour” Ronnie grinned at him, and his lips quirked up in return.

“Maybe they’re right. Maybe It’s not right for a young lady such as yourself to live all on your lonesome, in a county like this. I have a brother you might like to meet, two actually” He began, holding up two fingers as Ronnie laughed.

“Oh of course, heaven forbid, I do so struggle with the terrible freedoms of having my own home, all to myself. I think I should die with the loneliness, and there are also rumours of terrible killer turkeys!” Even John chuckled at that, resuming his drumming on the dashboard.

“This county is something else, I swear. Tommy the killer turkey. What a joke” Ronnie grinned at him – she still wasn’t sure if Tommy the Turkey was real or not, nor whether he was still alive or if Sharky had killed him. They continued the drive in silence for a bit, except for John directing Ronnie where to turn.

“I don’t hate all music, by the way,” Ronnie said softly, as John watched her curiously, “I mean, I am human. I just can’t… don’t listen to the soft and slow songs. I listen to almost everything else… just not… you know, soft music”

John raised an eyebrow, but shrugged and said “Okay”, which seemed to Ronnie like he wasn’t going to ask for an explanation, not tonight, but she could see him file it away for another time. Ronnie pulled up in front of the Seed Ranch, and she had to laugh.

This seemed to annoy John, who growled out a “what’s so funny?”, which just made the rookie Deputy laugh harder.

The youngest of the Seed brothers clenched his fists, his mouth pulling into a thin line as he grit his teeth. Ronnie finally got a hold of herself and went to put her hand on his – he quickly snatched his hand away, moving to unbuckle his seat.

Ronnie’s brows furrowed in confusion, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cause offence, it’s just,” John managed to unclip his belt and half fell out of the truck as he opened his door, “Hey!” She quickly jumped out after him and moved around to his side to hold him steady, “It’s just that I just bought a tiny little one bedroom house which has apparently a murderous villain ready to jump out at any moment, and here you are with this massive spread, ya know? Just… what a difference, huh?” John stared at her as she held her hands out, half to support him – which he would argue he didn’t need, but Ronnie knew that he definitely did – and half to show she really didn’t mean to offend him.

A submission on her part.

John took a deep breath, exhaling heavily. “I suppose that’s fair,” he said as he dug around his back pockets before fishing out his keys and phone. Ronnie moved to step under his arm in order to support him better so she could walk up the few steps to his door. Before she could, he pushed his phone into her face, “Kim says we’re both invited for pancakes in the morning. We also need to get my truck in the morning” the text message on the screen was indeed from ‘Kimiko’ and said ‘hey, tell Ronnie that you’re both invited over for pancakes in the morning – 6 oclock – maybe she’ll pick you up and help you get your truck, if you’ve been nice!’

“I dunno… have you been nice enough for me to help you out, again?” Ronnie joked as John slid his phone back into his phone and threw his arm over her shoulders.

They shuffled up the stairs, but John moved them off to the left, instead of towards the door.

“Hey, dude, door is that way?” Ronnie pointed out, stopping them and trying to adjust their trajectory.

John kept moving, pulling her along, “I’ll show you something if you promise to come get me for pancakes and my truck in the morning”

Curiosity should have been Ronnie’s middle name. She had absolutely zero chance of denying him. So, they shuffled off to the left, past the house and out towards a small shed.

When they got past the shed, Ronnie gasped – which made John chuckle.

The view was incredible, uninterrupted and uninhibited views of the night sky, stars strung like fairy lights and the valley below solid and alive even in the dark. John moved away to sit on a chair, conveniently placed to overlook the entire valley.

“This is a major part of the reason why I bought this place,” He was almost whispering, and Ronnie moved closer to hear what he was saying, “It helps me… think… contemplate… feel small and inconsequential and… _immune_ _to all of life’s bullshit_ ”

Ronnie looked at him briefly and felt like she was invading a very private moment, so she stepped a bit closer to the view, giving the man a bit of space, and let herself get lost in the stars. She stood in silence for a few minutes, committing the valley to memory. When she finally turned around, she found John staring at her, observing her silently.

He didn’t look away, choosing instead to maintain eye contact – almost challenging her to submit and look away first.

Or maybe he was just searching, trying to figure her out, to learn more about her.

She looked away.

“Come on, lets get you inside, I still have to head home” She murmured as she cracked her knuckles and moved forward to help him up. As they moved back to the front door without any further comment, she noticed that he had unbuttoned his vest. She blushed as he unlocked the door, stepping back as he leaned on the door frame and flicked on the lights.

She prayed her cheeks weren’t as red as they felt.

“I think I’ve got it from here, Deputy. Thank you…”

Ronnie knew a dismissal when she heard one, and she was grateful for it, it had somehow gotten awkward. “No worries, you’re welcome. It’s what I’m here for, serve and protect and all that. I’ll swing by in the morning so we can get your truck. Rest up”

He nodded and she turned on her heel and retreated back to her truck, pulling away from the compound quickly – she definitely didn’t pause to take a mental image of him standing in the doorway, vest unbuttoned and looking slightly dishevelled, staring at her with those deep, blue eyes.

It wasn’t until she got to the end of the driveway that she remembered.

“My fucking ice cream is definitely melted”.

* * *

 

The next morning, at 10 minutes to 6, Deputy was standing at John Seeds’ door again.

She had spent 2 hours thinking about it last night and chalked up her awkwardness and curiosity to being tired and enchanted by the view. _It’s been a crazy week_ , she had rationalized to herself, _of course I’m over tired, and over stimulated_. She’d known the poor man for all of an hour, she definitely did not have a crush.

 **That would be stupid**.

So, she burned out any ounce of curiosity with two cups of coffee and a determination.

She took a deep breath, ignored the fact that she’d hesitated three times now, and knocked on his door.

And waited.

And waited some more.

She knocked again.

No answer.

She was just about to start calling out, when a voice came from behind her, “Morning Deputy”.

She screeched as she spun, her hand automatically reaching for her gun.

John Seed stood in front of her, smirking, already dressed and ready to go. Ronnie exhaled heavily, putting her hand on her chest, “Jesus, John, way to scare the shit outta me”

“I know” He motioned to her gun with his chin, and she realised for the first time that the hand that had reached for her gun never even made it.

Because John had his hand wrapped around her wrist.

He let go and laughed, while Ronnie’s brows furrowed, “I wouldn’t have drawn in. No need for that,” John raised an eyebrow, but shrugged. He turned and moved towards her truck.

“Come one, Deputy, we’ve got pancakes to eat and a truck to pick up”.

Ronnie cracked her knuckles and followed him, hopping into the truck and starting to pull away.

“You need to get Bluetooth for your stereo” he told her, as if she should feel ashamed that she didn’t already have it.

She rolled her eyes at him, “I’ll get right on that. For the moment, we’ll have to deal with the radio”. He raised an eyebrow as he flicked said radio on and sat back as the local radio station played their usual mix of country and rock. Neither said a word, happy to just listen to the music as they drove the 10 minutes to the Rye house. They pulled up in the driveway, and John was already out the door before Rook could even turn the car off. He essentially jumped over the stairs and threw open the door – all before Rook could even get out of the car.

She wasn’t sure whether to be impressed or wary.

She chose wary.

She approached the door slowly, but even before she was on the porch she could hear John giving Nick shit, and Kim laughing. Ronnie shrugged to herself, letting out a soft ‘ huh’, before sighing and opening the door and following John inside.

* * *

 

Breakfast at the Rye household was crazy.

Rook was kind of scared, if she was being honest.

Kim was in the kitchen, while Nick was banned from going anywhere near them and was designated to either sit at table or in the living room – he chose to sit at the table, so he could ‘get fed quicker’ he told Ronnie in a conspiratorial whisper.

John also sat at the table but got up and collected any plates that Kim asked him to – although Kim didn’t really ask, it was more of an order – and deposited them onto the table. But they weren’t allowed to eat until Kim was ready, and she wouldn’t be ready until everything was cooked.

So, Ronnie just sat at the table, in the most out of the way seat, and kept her mouth shut, except to laugh at Kims’ jokes, and make fun of Nick.

Then, when Kim finally declared that everything was cooked and brought the last plate over, served up a heaping plate for herself and then gave the boys permission to dig in.

Ronnie almost stared in horror as Nick and John both devoured more food than she would eat all day, faster than she could eat one pancake and a piece of bacon. Kim laughed at her horrified expression, “This is nothing. Wait until the Testy Festy over at the Eagle. That’s an event that gets everyone going”.

… “I’m sorry… Testy Festy?” Ronnie grimaced and put her hand up as Nick opened his mouth to explain – even though it was full of food – “Never mind. I don’t need to know. I’ll figure it out later”.

Ronnie and Kim started to clear plates after they had finished and began washing up. Nick took over once he was finished with his left overs, “You better head of Deputy – you’ve still gotta get to work, don’t you?”

“We gotta pick up my truck first!” John reminded her, as if she could have forgotten.

They said a quick thank you and a goodbye, and then they jumped back into her truck.

“You know, it’d be like… a twenty minute walk into town from here… you could just… walk?” Ronnie offered, even as she started driving.

John laughed, “And deprive you of my company? I wouldn’t be so cruel, not even to you, Deputy”.

Ronnie rolled her eyes, “Oh how kind of you, I’m so touched, what a gesture”, letting the sarcasm drip from her words. John just laughed, happy to tap along to the beat against his thigh. Ronnie pulled up at the side of the Spread Eagle, next to the only parked truck in the small parking lot – an almost brand new, top of the range pickup truck, which had been heavily modified.

Ronnie would give almost anything to look under the hood of that thing.

Of course John would have the nicest toys – he’s probably got more money than anyone in the county.

“Thank you for the lift, and for helping out last night. I guess I owe you two favours now” John offered, with a lopsided smirk.

Ronnie raised an eyebrow, “I count three. Rescued you last night,”

“It wasn’t a _rescue_ ”

“Dropping you off this morning, _and_ taking all the ‘why aren’t you married? You should meet my cousin’ comments from you”

Ronnie held up three fingers, wiggling them mockingly. John raised an eyebrow as he got out of her truck.

“It wasn’t a rescue” he said, holding up two fingers, wiggling them back at her.

She laughed at him as he turned around and set about getting into his truck. “You’re welcome” She called out to him, as she pulled out.

He held up a hand, and tipped his head as a farewell, and she drove away, off towards the county jail.

She definitely didn’t look at him in her rear-view mirror as she drove away.

Definitely not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goodness!  
> Okay, first things first, THANK YOU SO MUCH for your comments and kudos and follows and bookmarks!  
> Thank you so much!  
> It means so much! When I woke up yesterday morning, to SUCH an overwhelming response, my eyes got a bit teary. All your kind words, and kind kudos, mean so, so much to me.
> 
> Second thing, if you wanna follow me on Tumblr - I post a lot of John Seed / Fary Cry stuff - here it is : http://jamdropx35.tumblr.com/
> 
> Thirdly - I don't know if you guys want to know, but I kinda use Emily Blunt as a face claim for Ronnie. In Particular this : http://msmarvel.tumblr.com/post/172893470587/emily-blunt-for-varietys-power-of-women-issue
> 
> Fourth, thanks for continuing to read! I'm hoping to post chapters with some kind of regularity, but with assignments flying at me and exams coming up quicker than I'd like, we'll see how we go.
> 
> ANYWHO.  
> Finally a bit of proper interaction. And Kim and Nick, who are just the cutest thing since sliced pie.  
> I hope you enjoy,  
> and Thank you so much :)  
> Have beautiful days everyone!


	3. Separating Waves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I will find you here inside the dark  
> I will break through  
> No matter where you are  
> I will find you  
> I will find you
> 
> Finding You - Ruelle
> 
> Far Cry 5 does not belong to me, nor does anything Far Cry related.  
> I only own Ronnie.  
> If I DID own Far Cry, do you think that John would have been put into the game with that butt? No. John would have had an Adonis ass.  
> Thank you for reading :)

Pratt met Rook in the parking lot of the jail – having already loaded up the work truck. Ronnie checked her watch, confirmed that she was 15 minutes early still and sent Pratt a confused look as she stepped out of her truck.

“No, don’t worry, you’re not late, there’s been a bit of an emergency. Whitehorse wants you to come with me,” Staci offered in way of an explanation, rubbing his neck as he jumped into the truck and started it up. After she had jumped in herself, he chewed his bottom lip nervously, explaining more as they pulled out of the parking lot and away from the jail, “It’s Jacob. He… He has episodes. PTSD, you know? Jess Black called it in this time, and she’s reliable”.

If Pratt wasn’t so nervous, Rook would have enjoyed the speed at which he was driving, but his nerves seemed to be contagious. “What sort of episodes does he have?” She posed the question hesitantly. Obviously, Pratt and Jacob had more than an ‘understanding’ as Whitehorse had put it.

Pratt didn’t answer straight away, taking time to think and harass his lip more. When he answered, his tone was strained, “Nothing violent, except to himself. He… he just gets lost and forgets where he is, the paths that he’s chosen”

Rook shook her head, “No, Staci, I know what PTSD can do - _does_ do – sorry, I should have phrased the question better. What does **he** do? Does he withdraw and panic? Does he run and lash out? Does he hurt himself? Does he-”

“He runs,” Staci cut her off, turning to look at her briefly, eyes flashing with barely controlled panic, “He runs from everything. He just… runs into the forest and loses himself completely. He gets his past all muddled up, and often attempts to hurt himself”. Rook nodded, patting Pratts arm in an attempt to comfort him.

They rode the rest of the trip in silence, until Pratt pulled up on the side of the road and a young woman in a large hooded cloak stepped out from the tree line. Pratt got out, moving quickly to meet the young woman, and Rook followed him, staying a few feet back to give some kind of privacy.

The young woman waved her forward.

“I’m Jess, Jess Black,” She held out her hand, shaking Rooks hand briefly, “You’re the new deputy. I’m sure I’ll see you around at some other stage and we can exchange pleasantries. Right now, we need to move. Keep up”.

She turned and loped gracefully into the woods, closely followed by Pratt and Rook. Pratt moved jerkily, tension causing him to step heavily and break branches as he went. They proceeded at a quick pace for about twenty minutes, heading deeper into the forest until Jess motioned them to stop, as she crouched and held one finger to her lips, then pointed ahead of her before disappearing into some bushes in front of her.

Rook crouched, slipped into the bushes and looked to where Jess had gestured – her breath catching when she found what they were looking for.

A pack of wolves lounging around a lone man on his knees, military coat hanging loosely from him, burns evident on his arms and up past his neck, his head resting in his hands. His arms had splashes of blood here and there, Rook assumed from a panicked, careless flee into the woods.

The eerie silence was broken when the man threw his head back and released an agonized, inhuman roar. The wolves stood slowly, and, one by one, raised their heads and howled with him.

Rook was overwhelmed by the waves of anguish that filled the noise. She clutched at her chest as it clenched, her stomach twisting as her eyes watered, and she struggled to take breath.

Every second the cry lasted was torture for Rook, and when the air was finally still, she found herself hunched over, clawing at her chest, trying desperately to gasp in air. She looked up just in time to see the wolves turning to flee as Pratt stood slowly, hands out and making steady, obvious steps towards the now solitary man.

“Jacob, it’s me, it’s Staci, I’ve found you, I’ve come to help you” His voice was soft, words spoken slowly and with purpose, but Jacob gave no signs of having heard him.

Staci continued stepping closer in the silence, until he was almost able to reach Jacob, his arm out to touch his shoulder, when the silence broke.

“Stop”

Jacob’s voice was gravelly and emotionless but yielded no room for argument. Staci stopped immediately, frozen in place.

“Where is Miller?”

“You’re in Hope County, Jacob. You moved here with your brothers, Joseph and John, and your sister, Faith” Every word was spoken in a soft whisper but still they caused Jacob to shudder.

“ _Where is Miller?”_ He asked again, words clipped, and voice strained.

Staci resumed his course, taking a step closer, “You’ve been here for six months now. You’ve got a home in the Whitetail Mountains. You like it because it’s cold, and you can cover up your scars so that no one asks questions”

Jacob exploded, snapping up to stand at his full height, and roared in Staci’s face “WHERE IS MILLER?!”

“Miller is dead, Jacob. He has been for years. You got separated from your unit and he tried to kill you – the wolves rescued you. You’re not on tour, you’re home, you’re here with your family”

Jacob glowered at Pratt for a moment, eyes wide and wild, breathing erratic and stilted. They stood like that for what felt like an age, but Staci never flinched or broke eye contact.

And then Staci reach out, so slowly it was painful, and put his hand on Jacobs shoulder. Jacob exhaled shakily and seemed to crumble - just an inch.

“Staci” he breathed, recognition worming into his expression as the fury bled out. Pratt took that as the okay and exhaled in relief before gripping Jacob in a tight hug. He pulled back quickly, resting one hand of Jacobs cheek briefly. Then he turned to the bushes, calling for Rook and Jess to come out. Tension flashed through Jacob as the two women stood up and stepped out, but disappeared quickly. “You brought back up, like I told you. Good. Smart” Jess nodded once at Staci and Jacob and then disappeared back into the woods.

Ronnie slowly stepped forward while Staci spoke softly to Jacob, “This is Verona Maxwell, the rookie deputy I was telling you about?”

Jacob looked at her for a few moments, then nodded once, “Yeah, I remember”. His voice was soft and exhausted, struggling with the weight of what had just occurred. Ronnie felt per chest clench with sympathy but was quick to swallow it down before Jacob could see it.

“Pratt, how about you take Jacob back to his home, and I’ll report back to Whitehorse?” Ronnie offered, hoping to make it as easy as possible for Jacob.

She knew what PTSD could do, even to the strongest of people.

Staci looked at her thankfully, but rubbed the back of his neck, “We only have the one car”.

“Oh” Ronnie frowned, worrying her bottom lip before shrugging, “I’m sure I can find a lift?”.

“No” Again, Jacobs’ voiced allowed no room for argument. Staci turned to him, taking a step closer to him, but stopping when Jacob shook his head quickly, “We’ll go to my place. Then you guys can complete your duty of care, like Whitehorse told you to last time, Staci”

Ronnie looked to Staci, who watched Jacob carefully for a moment before shrugging, turning to lead Jacob out of the forest, towards the car. Jacob moved almost silently behind him through the forest, something that surprised Ronnie. A man of his size would normally have made a lot of noise.

Even Jacobs steps were almost silent.

Ronnie tailed after them, trying to allow Jacob some space.

* * *

 

No one spoke to the drive back to Jacobs house.

After driving for about five minutes, Jacob had turned the radio on, and the crooning male voice had started to make Rook feel like vomiting. Jacob had clearly enjoyed it, unaware of Rook descending into chaos in the back seat, tapping his thigh in time to the music, so Ronnie had clenched her fists and her jaw and endured.

When they finally arrived at Jacobs house, Ronnie had waited for Pratt and Jacob to enter the house before slipping out into the tree line and vomiting up the pancakes Kim had made that morning. Once she had finished throwing up, she took for a moment taking deep breaths.

She ignored the phantom blood dripping from her hands and the searing pain of the old knife wound above her right hip. She knew there was no blood. She knew the wound was closed up, healed, covered up by a tattoo.

She wasn’t **there** anymore. The music was gone. She was **safe**.

She took her ten deep breaths like she had been told, cracker her knuckles and ran her fingers through her ruffled hair to push it back into some semblance of order.

As she stepped out of the woods, she frowned as she realised that her hair had grown quite a bit, and that she would need to get a haircut soon unless she planned on growing it out.

She was glad her mind was back to normal.

Jacobs house was sparsely decorated, with pictures of landscapes hanging randomly though the hallway and living room, and a few pictures of the Seed family. Ronnie found her way into the kitchen, where Staci and Jacob were.

Jacob looked at her like he knew what had happened, so she gave him a small smile and a quick nod before taking the offered coffee from Staci.

She didn’t comment on how comfortable Staci was in Jacobs kitchen.

A large white wolf entered the kitchen from the opposite side, moving directly up to Jacob and licking at his hand with a small whine. Jacob smiled softly and couched down in front of the wolf, stroking it softly on its chest.

Rook looked to Staci, alarmed. Staci grinned, “Jacob rescues wolves, rehabilitates them… some of them are too placid to be released into the wild. Three is the only one allowed in the house, and that’s because she’s special” he explained.

Ronnie opened her mouth to say… something, but closed it again when she didn’t know what to say. Jacob grinned up at her, before standing and motioning for her to follow him.

She followed him down a hallway and heard the dogs barking before Jacob opened the door.

When he did open the door, three large dogs, of varying breeds, launched through to open doorway to jump up at Jacob, sniffing and inspecting him. He chuckled softly, reassuring them that he was fine. When they were sure that he was OK, the dogs turned and approached Ronnie cautiously. Ronnie grinned broadly and dropped to a crouching position, holding her hands out for the dogs to sniff. As they were approaching, they were shoved out of the way by a fourth dog, a large Rottweiler, who barrelled through the door, right into Ronnie, knocking her over and licking her face affectionately.

Ronnie laughed, petting the dog wherever she could until Jacob pulled him off of her.

“Sorry, that's Six – he’s overly affectionate… and a bit out of control” Jacob roused on him softly, and Six whined before sitting.

“Have you named them all _numbers_?” She asked, disbelievingly, as the other three dogs approached to sniff her hands and get pet in return.

Jacob shrugged, “Yeah…. It’s just easier that way” he explained, as he led her through the door to his backyard, where there were two other dogs and a pathway that led to a large barn. Staci tailed after them as Jacob showed Ronnie the big barn that housed the dogs. It was beautifully set up, with a dog bed for every dog, and a feeding area.

In the back corner was an area that was gated off from the rest, and when Ronnie heard small, soft whines, she looked at Jacob with wide, hopeful eyes. He took a deep breath and sighed, “Yes, Eight just had puppies, they’re about two days old. Six more puppies to look after”

Ronnie had heard the word ‘puppies’ and was immediately standing at the gate, which was about chest height, and looking into the area. Sure enough, just as Jacob had said, Eight – a German Shepherd - was now the proud mother of a six beautiful puppies.

Rook tried not to die on the spot.

She settled for letting out a soft ‘oooohhh’. She ignored Staci laughing at her.

Eight approached her with her head held high, eyes wary. Rook spoke to her softly, waiting for Jacob to join her at the gate before offering her hand to the dog. Eight sniffed her hand, eyes on her the entire time, before licking them briefly and moving back into her whelping box, carefully starting to lick her six little wriggling beans.

“If you want to, you can meet them later, once they’re a bit older” Jacob offered.

“I would like that **very much** , thank you Jacob” Ronnie told him, touched at his offer.

“Don’t mention it,” he nodded and shoved his hands in his pockets, “You guys should probably go back to work. Report back in to Whitehorse”

Ronnie looked to Staci, who nodded. Ronnie said her goodbye to Jacob and all his dogs, before walking back through the house, heading back to the car to give Staci and Jacob some time alone.

Three followed her out and Rook scratched at her ear as she waited for Staci. It took a few minutes, but Staci emerged from the house, his cheeks a bright flushed red, and Jacob whistled for Three to join him inside the house.

As they back out of the driveway, Jacob raised one hand in farewell, which both Rook and Staci returned, and they departed.

Rook waited all of three seconds before turning to Staci with a wicked grin.

“So. You and Jacob huh?”

Staci swerved the car so hard they almost hit a tree.

* * *

 

The end of her shift on Friday was a relief, and Ronnie was more than happy to get home – She had even managed to safely get a tub of triple choc fudge ‘death by chocolate’ ice cream home the night before. She took out her contacts, showered quickly, combed out her short blonde hair, reminded herself yet again that it was time for a haircut, pulled on her most comfortable sweat pants and an old flannelette, put on her glasses and settled in front of the couch with a pizza, excited to settle into a night a sci-fi drama on Netflix.

Her phone buzzed, three separate alerts, and Ronnie smiled when she saw three messages from her little sister Georgie. Two messages about her upcoming wedding and the drama she was having with her maid of honour one message asking about how small-town life was going for her.

After finishing half of her pizza, she packed it away, cracking into a beer and her ice cream, all the while texting back and forth with her sister. Of course, her sister asked for pictures of every eligible bachelor in the county.

Kim had also texted her, inviting her to breakfast again in the morning, to which Ronnie said yes.

And then Kim responded with a message that made Ronnie’s stomach twist oddly.

“Great! It’s at Johns house. Wanna come by mine and pick Nick and I up around 7 and we can car pool?”

Ronnie groaned. What had she just been ambushed into?

* * *

 

Kim was smiling sweetly at Ronnie when she opened the door the next morning, “Good morning Rookie!”

Rook had wondered all night whether Kim had purposely lured her into having breakfast at Johns house or not, and that overly sweet smile confirmed it.

Ronnie glared at her, “So, you did know exactly what you were doing, you meddling little pancake making soon-to-be mother”

Kim smirked and quirked her eyebrows quickly, looking altogether too pleased with herself. “I have no idea what you’re talking about” she replied saucily. Ronnie was about to respond when Nick appeared from behind Kim.

“Morning Deputy” Nick said brightly, pushing back his hair before throwing his old baseball cap on.

Ronnie stared at him suspiciously, eying him up and down to see whether he had anything to do with this. His eyes went wide as she scrutinized him, and Kim quickly tried to get in the way and usher them off to the car, but not quickly enough – Ronnie saw Nick start to panic.

“You’re in on it too?!” She exclaimed, scandalised that Nick, of all people, _Nick_ was involved.

Nick held his hands up defensively, “Now come on, Deputy! Kim master-mined the whole thing, asking John if we could have breakfast at his and if we could bring you along, help you settle into the community, get you away from that lonely old house! I can’t deny my wife! Especially when she’s pregnant and got all those hormones!”

Kim glared at him “Oh God Nick, did you have to tell her everything?” she sighed, at the same time as Ronnie’s eyes widened.

“You organised the **_entire_** thing?! What are you trying to do? He’s going to think I’m absolutely desperate! That’s it, I’m going home. You can go to breakfast alone,” She turned on her heel, moving back to her car, “Tell him I’m not that lonely at all and that you were very wrong,” and she stopped suddenly, pointing at Kim hurriedly, “and what makes you think we would fit anyway! I don’t even know the man!” then she turned back to her car and opened the door, but Kim and Nick were already halfway there.

“He asked for your number” Kim told her, still smirking.

She stopped, staring at Kim while she climbed into the back seat, and Nick jumped into the front, “I’m sorry, _he what_? Also, get out of my car”

Kim was already buckled in, but Ronnie stood at her car, with the door open, not jumping in.

Nick tried to convince her now, “Yeah, Deputy, **he** asked for **your** number. Said some shit about it being for Jacob, in case he needed your help and couldn’t get a hold of Staci, but we all know that will never happen”

Ronnie stared at them before cracking her knuckles and jumping in. Kim grinned in the back seat, patting her husband lovingly on the shoulder. “I’m only doing this because I’m hungry. I have no interest in John at all. None”

Kim snorted, and Nick just grinned at her.

“I will turn this car off, do not push me”

* * *

 

Nick and Kim spent the twenty minute trip to Johns ranch trying to lighten the mood, and succeeding. Rook pulled the car up and cracked her knuckles, getting out after Kim and Nick, and following a few steps behind them as they approached the main house.

Nick knocked at the door, and when no one answered, Ronnie turned to make sure John didn’t sneak up on her again. Nick called out, and Johns voice echoed from the back of the property, telling them to come through. Kim looked at Nick, and Nick shrugged before heading through.

Kim looked at Ronnie, and grabbed her hand, “So… there’s something that I sort of lied about,” Kim started, and Ronnie glared at her even as they walked through the house together, heading out to the back area. Ronnie made a mental note to come back in here later and actually look at the main room.

“What did you lie about, Kimmy?” Rook growled back, her stomach clenched uncomfortably. She was vaguely aware of Nick, on the other side of the doorway leading outside, turning back to the two girls and shaking him head, trying to get Kims’ attention.

Kim ignored him, “I didn’t actually tell John we were bringing _you_... I just said that we were bringing _a friend_ … and may have… implied that friend was Jess Black”

Ronnie growled at Kim as they stepped through the open doorway, but whatever she was going to say fell out of her brain, and all that came out was “oh” when she saw what was on the back patio.

A woman, draped on a wooden love seat, completely buck-naked posing for John Seed, clothed only in a pair of Calvin Klein navy blue boxer briefs, set up behind an easel as he painted the naked woman.

Johns’ back was to them, and Ronnie was so close to turning on her heels and just walking away when he spoke, not bothering to turn around, “You guys are early, that’s not like you! I won’t be long, just finishing up with Holly now”

Kim had a vicelike grip on Ronnies’ arm, and Ronnie was all but begging her with her eyes to let her go now, before it was too late. Kim was staring at her, half panicked, half stunned, but she shook her head – Ronnie wasn’t leaving unless she was willing to injure the pregnant woman.

“Yeah, well, Dep is treating us good habits” Nick said, gruffly, looking between Kim and Ronnie and John quickly, his eyes much more panicked than Kims.

“Dep?” John asked, turning to face Nick, “You mean Deputy? Which Dep-”.

And then he saw Ronnie, standing there, arm awkwardly clutched by Kim, both women slowly turning to face John.

To his credit, he just laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO. We finally meet Jacob. I do adore Jacob. He's a prince and I love him.
> 
> Also, meet Holly. Lovely, wonderful Holly. I have some great ideas for Holly. She's just so lovely.
> 
> Kim, you adorable little hell raiser, I love you too.
> 
> Anyway, thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!  
> I've figured out the next chapter, mostly, and I'm very excited for it!!  
> YAY!
> 
> Thank you for all your wonderful and beautiful comments and kudos, they are much appreciated!  
> Have a lovely day!


	4. Fighting against the Rip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You wanna take a drink of that promise land  
> Gotta wipe the dirt off of your hands  
> Careful son you got dreamers plans  
> But it gets hard to stand
> 
> Soldier - Fleurie
> 
> Far Cry does not belong to me - Only Ronnie is the product of my own mind.  
> Otherwise, I would have been able to join the cult, and live happily ever after in the bunker, post nuclear apocalypse.

To say the situation was awkward would have been the understatement of the century.

After a quick argument, (“I have been misled”, “No you’ve misinterpreted”, “you willfully misled me, Kim!”, “I did nothing of the sort!”, “Hey, it doesn’t matter now, we’re here, let’s just eat!”), and Holly happily introducing herself, (“Hi! I’m an old friend of Johns from law school” she had said brightly) despite the fact that she was still butt naked,.John quickly excused himself, and all but dragged Holly upstairs to get dressed, telling Kim to start making breakfast.

“ _Friend_ of Johns’, my ass” Kim had snapped under her breath, and Ronnie agreed, but kept that to herself.

Kim and Ronnie had moved into the kitchen while John and Holly went upstairs, Kim pulling fruit out of Johns fridge and passing them to Ronnie to start the fruit salad, while she pulled out Bacon, eggs and the ingredients for pancakes.

John joined them in the kitchen not long after they had started, while Holly joined Nick at the table, chatting happily with the pilot. Kim eyed the two briefly, before shrugging – she was secure in her marriage, and didn’t see Holly, or any woman for that matter, a threat.

Between the three of them, breakfast didn’t take long to sort out, and before long all five adults were sitting at the table with a large stack of pancakes, plenty of bacon and eggs, and a bowl of fruit salad.

It was all demolished within thirty minutes.

Ronnie had been pleasantly surprised by how lively the conversation had been, how easily everyone had laughed, and even found herself liking Holly, although it became blatantly obvious, if it hadn’t already been, that John and Holly were sleeping together.

Yet another reason for Ronnie to let go of that tiny little crush, that barely piqued interest, in John. She wasn’t about to get involved with a man who was already involved with someone else.

_Not after last time._

When all the food had been devoured and the dishes cleaned, they sat around and talked for a bit, before John realised what time it was and advised them that he had to go.

Holly hugged Ronnie as they were leaving, which left Ronnie feeling slightly awkward, but she returned the embrace. Once Kim, Nick and Ronnie were all piled into her truck, they waved and retreated down the drive way.

Holly turned to John, smiling cheekily, “I definitely understand why you’re curious about her. She’s certainly very interesting”

John raised an eyebrow at his blonde companion, feigning confusion, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Holly. If there’s any curiosity there, it’s just because the Deputy is new”

The blonde just laughed at him, “Come on, John, I know you better than most people, you don’t have to fake it with me,” she checked the time on his phone, “Come on, there’s still time for a quickie before you have to leave”

It was his turn to laugh now as they moved upstairs, “Lust is a sin, Holly, and you're insatiable”

“And you’re curious about the deputy. She **did** look awfully cute in those shorts, what a _fantastic_ ass”’ she replied, without missing a beat.

He rolled his eyes, and pushed her onto the bed, ignoring the flip in his stomach.

* * *

 

After dropping Nick and Kim off to their house, Ronnie swung through Falls End, stopping by the mechanics to discuss a pet project and order some parts. After she’d finished, she ducked into the Spread Eagle to chat with Mary May as she was setting up, talking briefly with Casey, who was beginning to start the hype for _‘The Testy Festy’_ , which Ronnie still didn’t want to know about. When she came out of the bar, she ran into Rae Rae and Boomer, who she stopped and talked with for a while, petting Boomer lovingly the entire time.

After Rae Rae left, she was just jumping into her car when Sharky Boshaw called out her name, running up to her truck. She grinned at the ginger haired man, “Hey Sharky, where’s the fire?”

He chuckled, shooting her with finger guns, “Good one, Rook! Hey, what’re you up to today?”

She shrugged, “Nothing much, I’ve just had a semi awkward breakfast with-”

He cut her off, too excited to wait, “Cool, cool. Hey if you want a good time-”

“I’m not sleeping with you, Charlemagne” she laughed at him.

“No, No, nothing like that, stop trying to finish my sentences Dep, we both know you want me. But seriously, if you’re looking for something fun, come by the trailer park in about two hours – I’ve also invited Hurk and Nick and Grace and Jess, so they’re definitely gonna be there and it’s definitely gonna be a good time”

Ronnie laughed, “You do know how to intrigue a girl, Sharky, I’ll give you that much. I’ll be there” He whooped and threw his arms up in the air.

“Awesome! Just uhh… make sure you’re wearing enclosed shoes…. And bring some alcohol” He gave her two thumbs up as he jogged off towards the small convenience store. Ronnie shook her head, chuckling.

What was she getting herself into today?

* * *

 

Turned out Sharky’s idea of a 'good time' was showing off his home-made flamethrower.

Ronnie **loved** it.

But she did have to warn him that if she, or any of the deputies saw it, or heaven forbid, Whitehorse, that it would be confiscated… and he’d probably get a pretty hefty fine. She also told him, and the others who joined them, that if they told anyone that she was there and knew about it, she would deny it completely, and then soak their toes in honey and leave them in the woods for the bears.

After her disclaimers, she had thoroughly enjoyed testing it and offering improvements.

Hurk had been incredibly impressed by his cousin, thanking his Monkey God for giving him such a good family. Then he’d almost burnt his eyebrows off.

Grace had given tips on how to give it better aim – Sharky’s response of “It’s a flamethrower, you just point and BAM, why does it need to aim better?!” had not gone over well, so he’d shut up and listened.

Jess had cackled scarily when it had been her turn to use the flamethrower and had almost set fire to a tree outside of their designated burning area – thus being banned from using it ever again.

Nick hadn’t even wanted to touch the thing but had been very curious about it. When he pointed out how much duct tape was holding it together, everyone seemed to lose interest in trying it. Ronnie just held her head in her hands, “Come on, Sharky, you didn’t even get the proper parts for it?! And then you invited a Deputy here to show it off?!”

They played around with the designs, all offering improvements for a bit before putting it away – behind a locked cabinet that Ronnie inspected – and then they’d sat around and drank for a bit.

After downing a bit too much of his ‘family secret brew’, Sharky toasted them and thanked them for coming and being so supportive.

Then he promptly fell over.

* * *

 

The next week went by fairly quickly, the biggest events including helping Dutch with a wolverine problem – which ended with Rook and Dutch drinking a few too many beers and laughing themselves sick, before being rescued by a bemused Whitehorse and Pratt – and Rook officially meeting Cheeseburger, whom she loved so much that she was allowed into his enclosure and fed him two whole salmons, and was rewarded by being allowed to scratch his chin. On Friday morning Jerome Jeffries pulled her aside upon seeing her at the Eden’s gate café.

“I notice I haven’t seen you around at church on Sunday morning, Rook. If you don’t mind me asking, are you religious?”

Ronnie sighed, she’d known that being a small community, things like this would be noticed. “I am, actually, I’m just… my relationship with God is… we’re on a break?” She tried to explain, offering an awkward shrug.

Jerome nodded, seeming to understand, “A lot of veterans’ struggle with their relationship with religion after the get home, particularly when they experience PTSD. I would like to invite you to come on Sunday and see how you feel… if that would be okay?”

Ronnie smiled half-heartedly, “I’ll think about it, thank you”

Jerome patted her arm, “That’s all I can ask for, Rook, thank you. Have a nice day”. He returned to his seat and Ronnie grabbed the four coffees she’d ordered and left for work.

* * *

 

Sunday morning came around, and sure enough, Ronnie had made up her mind to go. She ditched her usual outfits, trading her normal quirky, snarky slogan t-shirts and uniformed over shirts for a soft grey high-necked singlet, and trading her comfortable jeans for a high waited white skirt with red and pink flowers that stopped just past her knees.

Perhaps the hardest thing to swap out were her boots. She looked sadly at her worn in, sturdy hiking boots, and then slipped on her tan sandals, wrapping the laces around her ankles.

Then she combed out her hair and shifted it back into place, and then applied a little bit of makeup.

She stared at herself in the mirror, frowning slightly. She had been raised with the idea that going to Church required her Sunday best, and here she was in her Sunday best.

She hardly recognised herself.

She hadn’t had any reason or occasion to dress up like this since her brothers’ funeral. She touched the little anchor tattoo at her elbow, whispering to herself “I miss you, Matty”.

She shook off the melancholy, taking a few deep breaths before dropping her phone and wallet into her small white handbag, picking up her keys and leaving her house to jump into her truck.

The streets around the church were crowded with parked cars and Ronnie sighed softly,– of course the entire town would be here – cracking her knuckles as she parked a few minutes’ walk down the road. As she made it to the little fence in front of the church, she was joined by Faith Seed, who pulled her into a deep hug.

“You look so beautiful, Verona! I’m so glad you’re here today, Jerome has promised a lovely sermon today. He and Joseph have been discussing it all week!” Ronnie winced at the use of her full name, but let it slide – the younger woman was so innocent and excited, she didn’t want to pull her up on something so unimportant. When they entered the church, Faith moved towards the front, but Ronnie shook her head, and point out the other deputies, Hudson and Pratt, sitting near the middle on the church, closer to the window. Faith promised to see her after the sermon and took her place next to Joseph and John in the front row.

Hudson, wearing comfortable jeans and a nice black top, smirked at Ronnie when she slid in next to them, “Who’re you trying to impress, Rook?” she snarked good naturedly.

“God” Ronnie shot back, poking her tongue out at her as Pratt laughed. Hudson and Ronnie had been building their friendship on solid blocks of snark and sass, and Ronnie genuinely enjoyed it.

She also enjoyed the way Hudson blanched at her comment, responding with a whispered “Yeah, fair enough. You win” under her breath. Pratt gave Rook a high five, and they all conversed quietly while they waited for the last few locals to filter in, and the sermon to start.

When Jerome stood at the front of the church a few minutes later, Ronnie was pleasantly surprised by how he preached – full of acceptance and kindness. Jerome spoke about a few things, being good neighbours and welcoming new members of the community, but focused on resisting temptation. When he was finished, he left them with a quote from Corinthians, his words echoing through the church, “And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out, so that you may endure it”.

The church clapped when he finished, and he invited everyone to stay and talk further with him if they had any questions, wishing everyone else a good day. People slowly moved outside but stayed in the little area in front of the church and talked. Rook stood with Hudson and Pratt as people approached them, and answered a few questions about how she was settling in. Whitehorse, who had stood at the back of the church throughout the sermon, stood with them for a few moments before leaving to talk with a few people here and there.

Faith Seed didn’t come find her. She stood demurely behind Joseph and John as they spoke to Jerome and a few others.

Mary May opened the Spread Eagle and a fair few people stopped in to have lunch, including the three deputies and Whitehorse. There wasn’t a rush, so even after they’d finished their meals and most other people had headed off, the small group of four were still milling around the bar, having a friendly competition of darts, and trading fishing tips with a few locals.

* * *

 

It had been a fair few hours, and Whitehorse and Pratt were starting to talk about packing up when Grace Armstrong burst into the bar, approaching them hastily. Whitehorse immediately shed his relaxed pose and became the Sheriff again as Grace stepped up to their table, “there’s a situation over at Edens’ Gate, I think we’ll need all four of you”

Ignoring the fact that they were all off duty and had consumed more than a few drinks, the Sheriff settled the bill with Mary May and followed Grace, his three deputies tailing quickly behind, all slipping their off-duty personas, and stepping back into their law enforcement roles.

They could hear the yelling before they even entered the café, and they quickened their pace. Whitehorse stopped and turned to them all before they reached the windows of the small café, holding out a hand to stop them, “We do this calmly and professionally. This will be a family dispute and I don’t want us heading in there acting like we know what’s best in the personal family life of the Seeds’. We stay calm, and we stay objective, and you let me do the talking” he eyed Pratt a second longer than the two girls before straightening up and calmly moving to the door, opening it slowly.

All four members of the Seed family were in the coffee shop and didn’t seem to pay much attention to the small group entering through the door.

John had his back to them, and was bellowing at Joseph, who was holding Faith with a vice grip around her wrists as she knelt in the floor before him, sobbing softly.

Jacob stood slightly off to the side and he nodded at the Sheriff as they entered. He looked controlled and calm, but Ronnie could see how he was poised on the balls of his feet, ready to intervene the second the argument in front of him escalated.

There was evidence of a broken chair behind Joseph, leaning upside down against the wall, with two legs missing, as if it had been thrown carelessly.

“WE’RE NOT CHILDREN ANYMORE JOSEPH,” John roared, “You cannot keep treating us like this! You couldn’t protect us then, and we don’t NEED your protection now. Faith’s a grown fucking adult, she can make her own decisions!”

“She needs to be cleansed, so she can protect herself without my intervention” Josephs voice was calm, almost jarring against Johns fury.

Faith was murmuring quietly between sobs, “I didn’t do it, I resisted” over and over, but no one seemed to hear her.

“LET GO OF HER” John thundered, and when Joseph responded that he wouldn’t, John launched himself forward with a furious roar, cracking his fists against Josephs face. Faith yelped as Joseph twisted to avoid the blows, and then crumpled in on herself when Joseph released her suddenly in order to grab John and twist him into a tight headlock.

Jacob was at his side before either the Sheriff or the deputies could move.

He calmly rested a hand on Josephs shoulder and John started to choke, “Let him go, Joseph, you don’t want to do this. You know how he feels about you hurting Faith”

Joseph looked at Jacob calmly, still not letting up on John as he started to claw at Josephs arm. “He knows that she needs help, and that I am the one who can provide that”

Whitehorse stepped forward, hands held up to show we wasn’t a threat, “Come on now, let’s all just calm down a bit, and let John go”

It was as if Joseph saw that they had company for the first time, and his brow furrowed, his eyes blazing with righteous fury. Rook reached down to rest her hand on her gun, before remembering it wasn’t there and swallowing the anxiety that came with that realization.

Joseph held still for a moment, and Jacob growled out a warning “Joseph” as John started to writhe uncontrollably.

And then Joseph let him go and John fell to the floor, coughing and gasping for air, hands holding at his throat as the air burned even as he gulped it in. Ronnie moved forward to kneel in front of him, trying to help him sit up so that he could breathe properly. Joseph smiled softly at the Sheriff and the three deputies, clasping his hands in front of him, his eyes now calm and soft, “Sheriff, deputies, thank you for coming. This is a family issue and we won’t be needing your assistance”

“From where I’m standing, I think intervention was required,” Whitehorse replied calmly, thumbs hooked into belt loops as his stance relaxed, “how about your siblings all take off with my deputies, and you and I stay here and talk calmly for a bit?”

Josephs nostrils flared, and his jaw tensed, but as he was about to speak Jacob cut in for him, “That sounds like a plan” and then he moved over to Faith and picked her up, carrying her close to his chest.

She looked so small it was almost heart breaking, tucked into Jacobs barrel chest, his well over six foot frame swallowing her up so she looked almost child sized.

Whitehorse nodded at Jacob, once, “Deputy Hudson will take Faith somewhere safe, if you could help her into Hudsons’ vehicle? Then you should go with Deputy Pratt. John can go with Deputy Maxwell”.

It went unspoken that Whitehorse was separating them to keep them calm, and so that the Deputy’s could get statements. Hudson nodded to Whitehorse as she turned to hold the door open for Jacob to exit, and she rested her hand on his shoulder – her unspoken way of saying “Stay Safe” – and he nodded to her before she left. Staci stepped forward and helped Ronnie to help John get up, and then Ronnie took Johns’ arm and threw it over her shoulder, supporting him and they walked out.

She held Whitehorses’ eyes for a moment, nodding to him once, before exiting.

She loaded John into her truck as Jacob deposited Faith into Hudsons truck and held up her hand in farewell as they took off, meeting Jacob and Pratt near Jacobs truck.

Jacob sighed, and Staci put his hand on his should, as Jacob turned to Ronnie, “Johns going to be angry… hard to contain. You sure you can handle him?”

There was the tiniest hint of concern in Jacobs voice, which Ronnie found touching, and she smiled sadly to him, “I’ll keep him safe from himself, don’t worry”

“I wasn’t worried about him. He knows what he can and can’t handle,” Jacob told her gruffly, “I’m worried about you”

“Oh,” she started, even more touched, “It won’t be a problem” she told him, nodding assuredly.

Jacob frowned, “If you need help, call Staci. We’ll come for you”

Ronnie nodded, promising she would, before moving back to her truck, where John was staring at her broodingly.

“He tell you to be careful around me?” He croaked out the question bitterly.

Ronnie sighed, starting her truck and pulling away towards Seed Ranch, thinking about what to say for a moment, "Yes, he did. You really should stop talking, we need to check out your throat”

A brief moment of silence before he spoke again, “You still agreed to stay with me?”

The sadness in his hoarse voice, the disbelief, nearly broke Ronnie’s heart. She looked at him briefly, watching as the soft glow from the street lights lit up his face and then plunged it into darkness again.

His eyes still held the fury from the argument, but there was the barest hint of insecurity in them too. He had been abandoned before when he needed someone, and he was preparing for Ronnie to abandon him too.

“You’re not a monster, John. I’m not scared of you, not even now” She told him, voice soft as she turned to look away from him, focusing on the road.

The rest of the drive to Johns house was silent, and Ronnie prepared herself for a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooohhh Joseph, what did you dooooooo???  
> Seed family drama is the best drama.
> 
> Thank you for continuing to read, and leaving kudos and BEAUTIFUL comments!  
> This chapter was a bit hard, because I so desperately wanted to keep writing and get the next chapter up!  
> Next chapter is basically the Part 2 of this chapter, and we see A LOT more interaction with Ronnie and John.
> 
> I hope the pace is good for you all, please let me know :)
> 
> Thank you my lovely people, thank you very much.  
> Have a wonderful day!


	5. Drowning in it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This ain't for the best  
> My reputation's never been worse, so  
> You must like me for me  
> Yeah, I want you  
> We can't make  
> Any promises now, can we, babe?  
> But you can make me a drink
> 
> Taylor Swift - Delicate
> 
> I don't own Far Cry, or anything affiliated with Far Cry. I only own Ronnie.
> 
> EDIT. PLEASE NOTE, I know very little about American Military rules and regulations, I tried finding what I could on Wikipedia, and took what I knew from Australian Military rules and regs, which is not much. I DEEPLY APOLOGIZE if this offends anyone, and am MORE THAN HAPPY for you to tell me any details you know if mine are wrong!!  
> Thank you kindly!

John had opened the door to her truck before Ronnie had even had a chance to properly stop in front of his ranch. She called out to him to calm down, but he ignored her, so she quickly parked and turned the car off, jogging after him as he threw open the door, storming straight in.

She closed the door behind her as she followed him in, flicking the light switches on, and watching as he stood in front of the bookshelf, moving different books around, throwing them onto the floor over his shoulder. She moved closer to pick them up and stack them neatly on the table in the middle of the room, avoiding the new ones that he threw.

He grunted victoriously, and Ronnie turned to see him pulling out a bottle of whiskey that had previously been hidden.

“Hey, hey, no, I need to check your neck first!” she called out to him as he pushed past her into the kitchen. He stopped, turning to her with an incredulous look his face, one eyebrow raised and eyes amused.

“Really?” he croaked, “It’s superficial…. Bruises, but no damage. I have… enough experience… I’m fine” he winked when he said ‘experience’ and Ronnie couldn’t help but smile.

“Still, just let me look at it?” She asked, approaching him slowly.

He eyed her for a moment, before rolling his eyes and threw himself on the couch, screwing the cap off the bottle of whiskey and throwing it back for a long draw before pulling it away and then leaning his head back, exposing his neck.

It was oddly intimate, putting himself in such a vulnerable position, and Ronnie cracked her knuckles before moving closer, sliding onto the couch next to him.

She ghosted her fingers over his neck, bruises already blossoming below the neatly trimmed beard.

His skin erupted into goose bumps at her touch.

As soon as she said he could move, he took another long pull from the bottle of whiskey and then complied with her next instruction.

She did as much of an examination as she could, making sure he could rotate his head, and that there was no unusual pain. John hadn’t lied, he was particularly experienced with being choked– he knew all the questions and exactly how to answer them.

She sat back a few minutes later, “Okay… I think you’ll be okay. Just let me know if anything changes” He grunted in response. Another pull from the bottle. “Do you want to talk about what happened?”

His eyes flashed with fury again and she clicked her tongue, dismissed her question with a soft “fair enough” happy to give us on that subject, for the moment. Instead she got off the couch and moved to look around the pseudo library that they were sitting in.

She could feel his eyes on her as her fingers trailed over the spines of the books.

She stopped when saw the collection of books on Men’s Fashion Week. She turned to him with an eyebrow raised, the question implied.

He chuckled darkly, and then gestured to his outfit – the blue silk shirt, that matched his eyes, the dark jeans, the matching vest. He dressed well, she knew this, she just didn’t think he would have to study for that… thought that maybe it had just come from being financially well off.

She met his gaze, after doing a once over of him, and found him staring at her curiously.

She shrugged and turned back to the bookshelf. He shoved himself off the couch, pulling more on the bottle, and stepped over to a speaker system. Ronnie tensed for a moment, but relaxed when she recognised the beat and strumming of guitar.

“So, it’s not music,” John stated, she turned to find him watching her, “It’s specific music. Can I ask what music you don’t like?” he queried.

She wrapped her arms around herself and his gaze intense as he took in her every movement, “I can’t listen to crooning, that typical 50’s style romantic crooning?” she felt the goose bumps starting to crawl up her arms, “I struggle with lullabies and soft music, but crooning I just… can’t handle” She smiled sadly.

He hummed softly, “You said ‘can’t’ instead of won’t, struggle with instead of don’t like…. Why?”

She found herself staring into those deep blue eyes and was startled to find that she _wanted_ to tell him; admit every detail that she had struggled to reveal even to doctors. She opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated, “Why do you want to know?”. Her voice was so quiet she was surprised he even heard her.

He shrugged, “Curiosity” he winced as he said it, but Ronnie missed the expression – she had turned away to stare blankly at the wall of books.

“Curiosity killed the cat” she remarked, hardly paying attention, trying to figure out why she felt compelled to tell him.

“Satisfaction…” he started, but stopped before finishing the saying, a shiver running up his spine as he cursed Holly internally for putting ideas in his head.

Ronnie finished it for him, “Satisfaction brought it back”

Johns eyes fluttered closed and he tried to destroy that small part of him that wanted to take this as a sign. He would accept his curiosity, begrudgingly, but he would not allow it to develop into something that, in any way, resembled Holly’s insinuations.

**Lust is a sin.**

He needed to get out of that room, get some open space and fresh air.

“Come with me” he said, guiding her out the back doors, his hand almost resting on the small of her back. His fingers longed to move that inch forward and close the gap, to touch her, but he controlled himself, lips set in a grim line.

He guided her over to the chairs that overlooked the valley and he threw himself into one. She chose to stand, leaning on the small divider, staring out over Holland Valley.

The sun was just starting to set, painting the sky in soft orange, and John cleared his throat, still a bit raw but no worse than he’d dealt with before. He sat up and offered her the bottle as she turned to look at him. She paused for a brief moment, sizing up him and the bottle, before sniffling once and taking it from him with a small ‘thank you’, before taking a long pull.

“So, do I get the story now?” he asked, almost impatiently. His curiosity was a smouldering fire, almost out of control; insatiable and demanding.

She turned to face him, resting on the divider, and she stared at him quietly for a while before cracking her knuckles, taking another long pull from the bottle of whiskey and passing it back to him. “I did a few tours in Afghanistan, working mostly in secure bases as a mechanic. Women, as you would know, aren’t allowed on front lines. Anyway, I was on my fourth tour when I was called out to a repair job in a town that they’d just secured. It was a fair while away, and they’d blown the engine on one of their tanks and screwed up their Humvee transport. Their mechanic had been wounded and wasn’t able to fix anything. So, I got geared up – I was the closest mechanic, and even thought the zone was fairly hot, I had to go. So they sent me out with the back-up team of twelve marines” she sniffled again, chewing on her lip momentarily, “We’d been there for barely an hour when the rebels came back to retake their town. There were twenty-six marines in that town, two medics and two mechanics, including the guy who was injured and myself. I’d been working in a garage that we had borrowed from one of the locals with two marines and the commanding officer. He was playing music, the crooning kind. We’d all been singing along, having a bit of a laugh, as if we weren’t…”

She paused again, taking the bottle from John for another long pull, before handing it back to him so she could wrap her arms around herself again. John put the bottle on the ground beside his chair, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees, his head on his hands.

“The CO got a call over the radio of a possible bogie, and he told the two marines, Ferguson and Raltz, to stay with me and protect me while I worked on the tank. CO thought it would be a quick skirmish, nothing big. But the rebels had massed in force and had come in with about forty armed men. After the skirmish, there were about twenty rebels left, and six marines, excluding Ferguson, Raltz and I. I told Ferguson and Raltz to get out and get help, which they didn’t want to do, but I convinced them. The rebels came into the garage, found me, brought their six prisoners in and started to torture us. All the while, CO’s music was still playing”

Ronnie took a deep breath, goose bumps spread up her arms as she remembered the music, the screaming, the blood. John stood up and moved closer to her, resting his hand on her arm. She looked up at him, and fell into his blue eyes, grounding herself in the here and now. It helped, surprisingly, and she moved her hand to rest over his on her arm.

“They used me to torture the others, which is one reason why they don’t allow women on the front lines, I suppose. The boys went crazy any time those fuckers hit me. The rebels thought it was fun, a bit of a game to play. They killed them slowly, forcing the rest of us to watch. There were two marines left when they stabbed me in the hip with a knife, and they were just starting to twist it when Ferguson and Raltz snuck back into the garage and rescued us. And then the four marines and I took back the town,” her voice dropped to a whisper, “I was so warped at that stage that I actually enjoyed killing them”.

She realized what she’d just said, and the blood drained from her face. She dropped her eyes and tried to step away from John, clearing her throat and stammering, but he gripped both her arms so firmly it was almost painful, securing her in place.

She stopped trying to pull away, but didn’t look at him until he placed one hand under her chin, gently pushing it up, staring deep into her eyes, “You let Wrath consume you”

His voice was accepting, not judgemental like she’d expected, and she felt her eyes widen as her chin quivered. “ **Yes** ” she breathed.

He shivered involuntarily, and his eyes flashed with a dark emotion that passed so quickly that Ronnie didn’t have time to recognise it, “What happened after that?” he asked, his eyes returning to a calm, deep blue.

She felt her eyes starting to water, “I spent twelve months in a rage. I killed a lot of people and I _enjoyed_ it. I stopped being me. I wasn’t just **consumed** by wrath, I **was** wrath” she couldn’t break eye contact. She stared at John, even as tears slipped down her cheeks. He was nodding, as if he understood, taking on her story without judgement. He almost seemed proud of her.

“And what did you do about it, this wrathful life? How did you leave it behind?”

She shrugged, trying to look down, but he lifted her chin again, so she had to fall back into his eyes as they begged her to keep talking, to tell him _everything_ , “My brother died. Came home, got discharged, attended the funeral and was just… lost. So, I travelled for a while, and then I came home and worked in child protective services… tried to find myself again”

“You were seeking atonement” he told her.

And there it was again; He was **proud** of her.

“I was… I still am”

She felt a weight lift off her shoulders – she’d told someone that she had been a monster and they hadn’t run away from her, they’d accepted her. She took a deep breath, the air clearer than it had been in years.

He beamed at her and she was stunned momentarily.

He was _so beautiful_ when he smiled. So handsome and happy and _proud of her_.

She took a moment, but she smiled back at him, softly.

“You got anymore alcohol around this place?”

* * *

 

Turns out, John had a lot more alcohol in his house. Granted, it was all hidden quite well – a bottle of ‘legume oil’ in the back of his pantry that turned out to be vodka was Ronnie’s particular favourite – but there was plenty of alcohol in Johns ranch.

Significantly less after they had used it to get trashed.

They had ended on the grass outside the garage turned hangar, after John had shown Ronnie his plane – his “pride and joy”. He had been hurt when she had been more interested in his truck, popping open the hood and, even in her drunken state, caressing the engine with soft fingers, poking and prodding around with little coos and hums.

Their words were slurring, but neither noticed. John _did_ notice the way flushed cheeks suited Ronnie, and the way she bit her lip, and how, in the right light, her eyes were more gold than brown.

Ronnie had lay down on the grass, staring up at the sky and John had sat next to her, heavily. Both were nursing their own bottles – Ronnie a second mislabelled bottle of vodka, “Kerosene” and John a bottle of scotch that had been hidden underneath a floorboard.

John had talked about a few of his tattoos, explaining their meaning, and Ronnie had pulled her skirt down a few inches to show him the fox curled just above her hip, covering the scar. When John had seen the goose bumps ripple across her skin from the cold, he had taken off his best and shirt, passing the blue article to her, smirking as she pulled it on over her cropped singlet.

It had taken a little encouragement from John, but Ronnie kept talking about her life.

Ronnie had talked about her older brother Mathius, and how losing him had almost killed her. She pointed out the little anchor tattoo on her elbow – “He always knew exactly how to bring me back home, how to bring me back to where I belong, how to ground me. That’s why I was so lost when he died… I had no one to keep me centred… keep me from drifting out to sea”

John had touched the anchor softly, raising an eyebrow as Ronnie had shivered.

She distracted him with the story of her affair with Ferguson, after they’d escaped the town, and how it had broken her heart to find out that he was married. She told him of how disgusted she was after she went back to him, even after finding out, and how she had personally found his wife when she had come home and explained everything and apologised. How her cheek had stung for hours after the woman had slapped her, and how she felt, even now, that she deserved worse.

And not once did Ronnie feel judged.

It felt like she was releasing demons from her past, confessing to all her hideous sins, and he was absorbing them, absolving them and releasing their shackles from her.

As she lay on the grass next to him, she traced the tattoos on his forearms, not noticing the goose bumps that followed her fingers, or the darkening of his eyes as he watched her.

“Should we talk about what happened with Joseph and Faith?” she asked, after a few moments of silence.

John huffed and drank more, shrugging, “I suppose… it is your job, isn’t it?” he could feel his words slurring now, and feel his reactions delaying. His hand took too long to reach his face as he checked to see if it was numb.

He couldn’t feel any of it at all.

“You don’t have to…. It’s just if you want to” she said, fingers lightly caressing the inside of his wrists.

He shivered, and she stopped, ‘Don’t stop” he told her, and she resumed immediately, humming softly.

He watched her carefully as he spoke, “Joseph thinks that addiction is the work of the devil, which, I mean, sure, it is, but it’s… it’s more than that” she hummed in agreement, and he studied her face as he talked, “Faith struggles with substance abuse, and Joseph thinks that every time she… she relapses, he needs to punish her”

Ronnie’s eyes flashed to Johns, and for a moment held a clarity that had been missing for hours, but it disappeared quickly, behind a haze of sadness and alcohol.

He decided to continue, “I understand how hard it is to battle addiction, know it more intimately than Joseph, and Faith didn’t slip this time. She got some….” he said slowly, eying her carefully.

She bit her lip, “Hey, I’m off duty. And if I can keep Sharky’s homemade flamethrower a secret, I can keep a secret for Faith…. As long as I’m not wearing my uniform…. And no one tells Whitehorse”

Her words were definitely slurring, even she could hear that, and she hadn’t been able to feel her nose in hours.

“Faith bought something she calls ‘bliss’ on Tuesday, but she flushed it down the toilet, without having to lean on anyone,” Ronnie smiled, beamed even, proud of Faith, and Johns chest squeezed a fraction at the expression, “and she thought that she didn’t need to tell us, because she’d done it all on her own. But Joseph found out, and organised the sermon today, and then afterwards took her back to the café and punished her – started to carve her sin into her skin. But I stopped him…. I needed to stop him…. She did the right thing. There was no sin”

Ronnie sat up, taking his hands in hers, “You did the right thing”

“Defying Joseph isn’t… it’s not normally the right thing. He’s looking out for us… after everything that happened with our father, he feels like he needs to look after us…”

“Good intentions, even good reasoning, doesn’t mean it’s the right thing. You were protecting your sister” she told him, smiling softly.

John marvelled at how simple she made everything seem, how sure of herself she sounded, even if her words were still slurred and her cheeks still flushed.

“Thank you,” his voice was quiet, and her face settled into a sincere and serious expression, “for staying with me”

She leaned forward, resting her hand on his shoulder, somewhat awkwardly from her sitting position in front of him, “It’s not a problem…. I have to admit, I’m curious about you”

He almost laughed, but settled for a breathy chuckle, which set her off into a fit of laughter.

* * *

 

Ronnie woke up in a place that was definitely not her room, and on a surface that was definitely not her bed.

It took her three seconds to realise that it didn’t matter where she was, she would rather be dead anyway. Her head slammed at every thought, her stomach revolted violently at every tiny movement and her mouth was dryer than an African desert.

It took her a few minutes before she could open her eyes, and the pain that it caused made her groan aloud. She tried to take in the room without moving – she was able to take in the timber walls, a bookshelf covered in books and dark blue sheets.

The soft king size bed should have been comforting, but instead was just troubling as she had no idea where she was or how she got there.

And then John appeared in the doorway, looking too damn good for whatever time it was in the morning, and Ronnie briefly felt a surge of happiness, quickly swamped by an almost complete panic.

She cried out an “Oh shit” and her hands flew to check her body – relaxing briefly when she found herself still clothed.

“Good morning, Sinner” he quipped, smirking confidently.

Ronnie tried to hold her head together, desperate to remember _what the fuck had happened last night_.

“I remember a bottle of vodka labelled legume oil, and I remember sitting in the grass, and telling you…” she felt the heat of shame spread up her neck and over her face, “oh god, what didn’t I tell you?”

She heard him place something gently on a bedside table and tried to shut her eyes as his hands slowly coaxed her out of hiding.

“You confessed a lot, but there’s no need to feel ashamed. Confession is a good thing”

She then remembered him beaming at her proudly and relaxed an inch.

“And besides, it’s only natural to be curious about me”

She groaned again.

* * *

 

It had taken a few pain killers and a large glass of water to convince Ronnie to even attempt the stairs, and one look at them had resulted in John carrying her down anyway.

He had deposited her onto one of the bar stools in the kitchen, preparing a small breakfast for her. Even the smell had her retching.

When Jacob and Staci arrived, they found her face down on the bench, a plate of untouched food in front of her, and John eating from his own plate.

“Good morning you two! How was last night? Everyone feeling better?” Staci asked, to which Ronnie groaned.

“Please be quiet” she implored, trying to look up at him, but failing.

Jacob huffed out a laugh, which was almost hidden by Staci and John’s roar of laughter.

The sound hurt Ronnies’ already painful head so much that she almost fell off the stool.

The movement caused her stomach to roll, and she started heaving.

John had a bucket in front of her face just in time for her to throw up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY FOR THE DELAY.  
> I had two major assignments, and every time i tried to write this, I'd write it and then have to redo it because I wanted so much from this little bit and then it wasn't working and now I've basically split it into two.
> 
> UGH.
> 
> Anyway, yay John and Ronnie interaction. and alcohol. and legume oil.  
> Next chapter is more John and Ronnie, and a bit of Jacob, woo!
> 
> thank you for continuing to read, and for your lovely comments and your kudos.  
> They mean so much!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed,  
> Jam, xx.


	6. Keep Treading Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We can be so hollow  
> Like my rib cage, the echoes follow  
> Follow me like the fears I swallow  
> And drown in all my mistakes  
> All I know is if my skin bled  
> Like the ink dripped from my pen  
> My bed will be drenched in a scarlet rose red  
> And drown in all my mistakes
> 
> Thief - Ansel Elgort
> 
> Disclaimer : I do not own Far Cry, or the Seed brothers, or any original Characters from Far Cry. I only own Ronnie. Otherwise, the Seed's would have been arrested and we would have lived happily ever after in a bunker after the Collapse   
> :)

Pratt hung around long enough to make fun of Rook a few more times, and then he took off to join Whitehorse and Hudson, promising Rook that he’d tell everyone that she wouldn’t be in today and that he’d make up an excuse for her – “Maybe I’ll tell them that John got really drunk last night and you’re looking after him… it’s just a role reversal truth?”.

John pushed her hair out of her face as she threw up for a third time, and she cringed at the acidic feeling of bile coming up her throat as she tried to clear it. Her hair was damp with sweat and she was just starting to get the shakes.

Jacob was preparing some kind of concoction in the kitchen while John carried her upstairs, setting her down on the toilet in his ensuite. He told her to strip off and jump in the shower and he would go find something she could wear.

Ronnie tried, she really tried to move, but only managed to slide onto the floor, and even that made her stomach twist painfully.

She felt her palms begin to sweat and a blush creep up onto her cheeks. She tried, at the very least, to pull off Johns shirt that she was still wearing from last night, but only managed a few buttons before John came back, holding a few clothes that Rook couldn’t distinguish.

He tutted when he saw her on the floor, shaky fingers working on the third button.

“You really are a mess, aren’t you, Sinner?” he spoke in a low, soft voice, which she appreciated greatly. “Come on, let me help you”.

She sighed and let her arms rest as he started to undo the buttons on his silk shirt.

It wasn’t until he started pulling up her tank top that she realised where this was headed and felt another wave of shame paint her entire face red. “No, no, it’s okay, I can, I can do it” she stammered, and he paused for a moment to look at her incredulously.

Then he resumed undressing her, and she was powerless to stop him. Once he had her top off, he rested one hand on her shoulder, and used the other to hold her chin in place so she couldn’t look away. “If you want me to stop, just say so. But you’re sick, and you need a shower”

She stared at him, taking in the soft, warm expression, and trying to read his blue eyes; looking for hints of deception or trickery.

There was none but genuine care in his bright, blue eyes.

She nodded, just the tiniest movement against his hand, blush flaring again. He shook his head, “You need to say it, just say yes”

“Okay….” And he raised an eyebrow, disappointment distorting his smile, “y- yes” she stammered out, and his face softened again.

He undressed her slowly, unzipping her skirt and then pulling it down, lifting her legs up as he delicately removed it, dropping it on top of her tank top. Then he unclipped her bra, and added it to the pile.

She slipped her arms around her chest, and bit her lip as he picked her up, gentler than she had expected, and deposited her on the floor of the shower. Then he pulled at the waist band of her underwear and she made a tiny squeak and looked away.

He pulled them off and added them to the pile.

Then he stepped back, pulled his shirt over his head and undid the laces of his boots before toeing them off.

Her heart rate was going absolutely mental, which made her head pound, but at least she wasn’t vomiting again.

And then his pants came off and he was left in just his black boxer briefs.

He stepped into the shower, moved the shower head to face towards the wall and turned the water on, adjusting the temperature until it was appropriate.

He sat down in front of her as she tried to curl up into a position that was as decent and conservative as possible, but John moved her around as he needed, rinsing out her hair under the warm water, and rubbing soap lathered hands over her shoulders and back.

Ronnie takes the time to slowly take in the tattoos and scars that decorate his body, briefly noticing the barely-there bruises on his neck from last night. The word ‘sloth’ carved into his chest and then crossed out, the word ‘lust’ so low on his stomach that it dips into his briefs, the word ‘wrath’ slashed over his ribs, the proud lion sitting guard on his right hip, just to the right of ‘lust’.

Rook felt her heart squeeze guiltily as she wondered whether Holly had ever been in this same position. And then her mouth opened on its own accord, “We shouldn’t be…” she tried to stop, but couldn’t, “What about Holly?”

He grunted, “What about Holly?”. He pulled her arms away from her body, cleaning them gently with slow circular motions. Rook stared at him, raising an eyebrow when that was all he said. She attempted to pull her arms back in, but he held her in a vice grip the second she started to move.

His looked to her, his pupils blown wide and eyes flashing with something dangerous. She inhaled sharply, and he relaxed, frowning slightly as he continued to work on cleaning her arms.

“Holly isn’t my girlfriend,” she frowned at him, opening her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything he huffed and moved her so he could work on her legs, resting her arms on his shoulders to rinse them off, “Just because you sleep with someone doesn’t mean you’re in a relationship, Deputy”

A small “oh” escaped her, and he chuckled.

“Does that change things?” His voice was gruff, and he worked his way over her knees.

Ronnie couldn’t get the small moan that escaped her. John’s hands stopped immediately, and his eyes slammed closed, his nostrils flaring. She bit her lip as she waited for him to continue, cracking her knuckles over his shoulder. He exhaled and then continued lathering her knees.

“John!” Jacobs voice floated up from downstairs and it made Ronnie jump. Johns eyes flicked from her to the door and he hesitated.

“Go, I think I’m feeling a bit better” Ronnie told him, moving her arms to wrap them around herself again. He nodded, once, before getting out, stripping off his briefs, and wrapping a towel around himself. He disappeared for a moment, before returning with another towel and dropping in onto the bench space for her.

Neither of them said a word about the bulge in the towel.

* * *

 

It took Ronnie a few minutes, but she finally finished washing herself and got out of the shower. After she dried off, she looked at the clothes that John had left for her.

An oversized black sweatshirt, and black sweatpants which somehow were only slightly too loose, but definitely way too long; John is over six foot, after all, and Ronnie would be lucky to hit five foot five.

Her feet were almost comical as they poked out of the extra few inches of fabric.

She felt a little bit better once she was dressed, and she looked at herself in the mirror, still a little bit disgruntled by the pale look and bloodshot eyes. She patted down her hair, found her phone laying on the bed, and sighed before hiking up the bottom of the pants and heading down the stairs.

The two Seed brothers were standing in the kitchen, talking in low voices. Jacob noticed her first and puts an arm on Johns shoulder, squeezing lightly, as he smirked at the deputy, “feeling better?” his voice is low and gravelly, and Ronnie nods, smiling softly.

“Yes, thank you” He offers her a large glass of something green as she approaches, which she takes and sniffs cautiously.

John turns to face her as she approaches and frowns ever so slightly.

He’s still got the towel wrapped around his waist. He nods to her, once, and moves past her to head upstairs, presumably to get dressed.

“You really should drink that, it’ll help,” Jacob told her, and she looked back to find him staring at her intensely. “If you can finish the whole thing, I’ll take you to see the puppies”

Ronnie tried to act as if she had to contemplate his deal, taking an extra few seconds to think about it before nodding, holding out one hand for Jacob to shake. They shook hands, and she started to drink the green blend – he nodded approvingly as she down as much of it as possible in one go.

She didn’t even make it halfway down the cup.

Jacob huffed out another laugh, “keep it going, you’ve got quality time with six puppies on the line”.

“You’re a fantastic motivator, I hope you know this” Ronnie quipped before downing the rest of the drink. John made it back down the stairs, dressed now in the usual dark jeans and boots, this time paired with a dark mustard shirt, just as she finished, laughing softly at the face she pulled.

She placed the glass on the bench with a fist pump, “we had a deal, big man, it’s puppy time” she told Jacob, who nodded and rinsed the cup out before putting it into the dishwasher carefully.

John lagged behind as Jacob and Ronnie headed out front and got into Jacobs truck, Ronnie taking the back seat, leaving the front free for John.

John followed the out a few moments after Ronnie had buckled in, wearing a knee length jacket.

It wasn’t until he got into the truck that Ronnie had a chance to look closer.

“John, are those little planes on your jacket?”

* * *

 

Jacob had planned on stopping by Ronnie’s house before heading up to his cabin, but after a small tantrum from John about his jacket – “It’s not cute, it’s fashionable and masculine”, “It’s probably the cutest jacket in the county”, “it is a bit cute, little brother”, “shut your fucking mouths, it’s **not** cute” – he decided not to.

Three was waiting for him when they pulled in, laying patiently on his small front porch. John was the first person out of the car, and he grinned at Three as she approached him, nuzzling into the extended hand. Ronnie was slower out of the car, lagging behind with Jacob as she watched the large white wolf curl around John affectionately.

“Three comes with me to most family dinners,” Jacob told her softly, and she looked at him to find him staring at her knowingly, “she’s quite fond of John”. Ronnie nodded, smiling softly to herself, as they moved to enter the house, Three recognising her and ducking her head under Ronnie’s hand, pushing up so she would be forced to pet her. They followed John through the house to the barn out the back, and Jacob moved past them, opening the gate for Eight to trot out, licking Johns hand happily, and then sniffing Ronnie’s offered one with caution.

Ronnie dropped to a crouch to help Eight feel better, grinning as John moved past her and stepped into the puppy play area, taking off his coat and handing it to his brother, who shrugged and placed it on a bench a bit behind them.

Ronnie was sure John would be unhappy with that, but when she turned to see his reaction, she was surprised to see John, on his knees, surrounded by six puppies, all trying to crawl up his jeans.

He was cooing, picking up the smallest of the litter, holding her in front of his face, talking about how she was “doing so well”.

“That’s Penelope, the runt of the little,” Jacob explained to her as she pet Eight, “she’s been John’s favourite since she was born”

John looked over his shoulder, “I love an underdog”, he smiles as Penelope starts to lick at his face and turns back to give her his full attention.

Ronnie spoke softly to Eight, before standing and stepping carefully into the puppy’s pen, cooing softly to the five puppies who swarmed at her bare feet. She carefully sank to her knees next to John, playing softly with the five puppies, until Jacob stepped into the area, and four of the five puppies ran to him.

The largest puppy was left sitting patiently in front of Ronnie, one paw resting on her knee. Her heart squeezed, and she let out a quick playful sob, wrapping her hands around his thick tummy, “oohhhh, hello my little prince. You didn’t want to leave me huh? Haven’t had enough attention yet, huh?”

Ronnie ignores as John scoffs beside her and Jacob’s soft “don’t spoil him” as she picks up the big puppy and holds him close to her chest. The puppy licks at her chin and she chuckles, scratching at his tummy.

“So how come they all have numbers for names, and then that puppy is Penelope?” she asked absentmindedly as she gently held her puppy against her tummy as he got comfortable.

John grinned broadly at her query, “Because she’s going to be mine”

The little puppy had fallen asleep on his chest, head resting about the scar on his chest peeking out through his shirt, the black and tan blending beautifully with the dark yellow of his shirt. A tiny little bit of pink tongue was poking out, and Ronnie took a mental picture of the hard, closed off man with the puppy happily asleep on his chest. Her heart softened at the contented, proud expression John was wearing as he gazed at his puppy.

Eight moves back into the puppy area and the four puppies crowding around Jacob follow her, whining as she lays down. The puppy in Ronnie’s arms wriggles and she lets him down gently with a giggle. John takes Penelope over to Eight, depositing her gently to the ground as she wakes up, encouraging her to go back to her mother with a soft push.

Ronnie grinned at John as they stepped out of the puppy pen, John grabbing his jacket off of the bench it had been placed on, heading back into Jacobs house.

Jacob put together a quick bite for John to eat after Ronnie refused, her stomach still rolling at the mention of food. She sat sipping water and petting Three while the boys ate sandwiches, scratching the wolf behind the ears, much to Jacobs disgust.

“If you’re going to spoil her, I won’t let you come back” he had grunted, but John had just laughed at him.

“She’s a deputy, Jacob, she’ll go where she pleases”

Ronnie frowned at him, “That’s not exactly how the law works, John. You of all people should know that” This made John chuckle to himself again, and he waved his hand at her.

“There’s the way the law is supposed to work, and then there’s how the law actually works. Cutting corners is a necessary part of justice”

Ronnie raised her eyebrows, “Of course a lawyer would say that” she snipped, nose scrunched slightly.

John slowly stopped laughing, looking her up and down as if he was re-evaluating her, “And you’ve never bent the rules to do what was right? You worked in Child Protective Services. You know that the red tape causes more problems than it solves. Sometimes you have to bend rules in order to help people”

Ronnie wanted to argue, she really did. Jacob was looking at her expectantly, and John was almost _daring_ her to try, but she couldn’t. She knew that sometimes the rules needed to be bent to protect people and had done as much herself. She cracked her knuckles and turned away from their matching blue eyes, both staring at her eerily.

Every time she opened her mouth to say something, she’d snap it shut before any noise could come out, until she sighed finally, shrugging, “You’re right”

She could hear John grinning, didn’t even need to turn to see it. Instead she turned to look at Jacob, who was studying his brother, and then he turned to look at her curiously.

He smiled softly after a moment and started humming to himself as he cleaned up the few dishes that had been used. Rook moved to help him, dropping her glass into the dishwasher next to the plates while Jacob washed the chopping board and John finished his sandwich.

Jacob coughed once he had cleaned up, “C’mon, I’ll take you back home, and then I’ll take John home – I’m sure you can pick up your stuff later. I’ve got shit to do today” he grouched.

* * *

 

They had piled back into Jacobs truck, and the trip back to Ronnie’s place had been quick. Jacob waved at her from the truck as John walked her to her door. When she reaches out and opens the door without unlocking it, John glares at her, “Do you normally leave your house unlocked?”

She shrugs as she turns to face him, “Yeah. Small town Montana, me a deputy, I figured I was pretty safe?” She speaks as if it’s a no brainer.

Fury flashed in Johns eyes, and for just a second, a mere moment, Ronnie thinks that he looks dangerous.

“Don’t. Do not leave your house unlocked. Not even here in _small town Montana_. You understand?”

Ronnie stares at him for a second, face blank, light brown eyes locked onto his blue ones.

The moments stretch into minutes and Jacob honks the horn at them but neither breaks eye contact.

Finally, Ronnie speaks, her eyes narrowing slightly, “I appreciate what you’re saying, John Seed, but do not, _for one second_ , think you can tell me what to do” her voice is low, almost a growl, and John feels the hot lick of desire flicker deep in his belly.

He leans in closer, staring at her hotly, but Jacob honks the horn twice, barking Johns name out the window. “We’ll continue this later” his voice is low, a warning, and Rook shrugs.

“Whatever” She spins on her heel and slams the door behind her.

She closes the door behind her and rests against it, heart slamming in her chest so hard she’s pretty sure she’s having a heart attack. When she hears Johns footsteps start to trail away, she moves to the window and stares out between the blinds, careful to remain hidden.

Jacob is snapping at John playfully, but John is still fuming, barking back him as they pull out of the drive way.

Ronnie stares around her house, trying to figure out what the hell had just happened, and what the hell had happened last night.

She texts Pratt, who immediately responds saying that he’s on his way.

She can’t even look at the shower without blushing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO SORRY FOR THE DELAY.  
> My group presentation really fucked me over. One member just disappeared from the face of the planet. Legit. Poof. Gone. Witchcraft.  
> ANYWAY, Yay, some heat between Ronnie and Johnie ^_^  
> Also, Jacob destroys me, my sweet sweet boy.
> 
> ALSO, I updated the previous chapter with an apology for my lack of Military knowledge. If you know anything about the military and find any mistakes in Ronnie's back story, PLEASE TELL ME!!  
> (I meant to post a little disclaimer when I posted it, but my brain died)
> 
> Thank you for your beautiful comments, and your kudos.  
> Please, again, forgive me for the delay, promise I will try and keep a better schedule.  
> Thank you, thank you, thank you, for reading.  
> I hope you're still enjoying :)
> 
> Love always, Jamdrop.  
> xxoo


	7. Barely Afloat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm tryin', I'm tryin' not to forget my words  
> 'Cause when I'm around you, I tend to keep changin' my mind  
> I promised, I promised myself not to slip back into old habit  
> 'Cause heartbreak is savage and love is a bitch
> 
> Love is a Bitch - Two Feet
> 
> Disclaimer : I do not own Far Cry 5, or anything affiliated. I do own Ronnie, but that's it. If I DID own Far Cry 5, there would BE MORE TOWN BBQ'S. YYYYUUUUSSSS
> 
> Also, please let me know if you think the rating needs to be up. Obviously once we get into... uhh... steamy territory?? It will go up, but I feel like this is just mature.. not explicit.... Anyway, Let me know :)  
> Enjoy!

Ronnie was sitting on her couch, nursing a beer, when Pratt knocked on the door ten minutes later.

“It’s open, come on in” she yelled, and Pratt pushed the door open, stepping in.

“Do you not lock your door? A single woman, alone in the for”-

Ronnie cut him off, “ _Don’t start with that_ , Staci, not… not right now”

Pratt stared at her, taking in her hands wrapped around the beer bottle and the crease between her brows, trying to gauge her mood, “Okay…. Well, how about you tell me what the hell happened last night for you to end up trashed this morning?”

Ronnie cracked her knuckles and then motioned her Staci to sit before launching into a quick recap of what had happened the night prior with John. She stumbled when she got to the part about the shower, blushing furiously and glossing quickly over the whole scene, quickly moving on to the puppies, and the small disagreement they’d had at the front door.

She let out a deep sigh when she finally finished up, and Staci ran his fingers through his already messy hair, making it stick up at worse angles.

“That’s… that’s a lot to take in,” he told her as he took a deep breath, then he squared his shoulders and looked her right in the eyes, “Do you like John?”

Ronnie guffawed, “That is so high school, Staci”

“You got drunk and then showered with him, get off your high horse”

“Point taken,” Ronnie pouted, curling her legs underneath her on the couch, “I mean…. I think so? I don’t know…. I feel like I don’t even really know him well enough? I’ve been here three weeks, Staci, not three months… I feel like it would be rash to say I like him when I barely know him?”

Staci grunted and rolled his eyes, “That’s bullshit and you know it. Connecting with someone isn’t about how long you’ve known them. You can know someone two minutes and **know** you’re **meant** to be with them, and you can know be in a committed relationship for ten years and wake up one day and not be in love with them anymore. People connect for so many different reasons, and at different times. Sometimes, when you’re just meant to be with someone, you just **connect** , and it just **happens**. I think you need to stop fighting the connection, and just see what happens, see where it goes”

Ronnie stared at Staci, impressed, eyebrows lifted, “That’s really good advice, Staci, thank you”

Staci beamed at her, “That’s me, good advice guy,” He stood up slowly, patting his legs, “Anyway, I only came in between jobs, I’ve still got an hour left of work, and I’m sure John will be over sometime soon to pick you up to grab your truck, and the stuff you left there…. Maybe you should take a _shower_ ” Staci smirked cheekily at her, and dodged, laughing, as she launched herself at him.

She couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled out of her, before she sobered and rubbed the back of her neck, “Seriously, Staci, thank you, you’re a good friend”, she punched him lightly on the shoulder and he faked hurt.

He smiled and ruffled her hair, “Anytime, Rook. After all, we’re here to look after you”

Ronnie rolled her eyes, grinning as she guided Staci to the door, waving to him from the doorway as he reversed his truck out the driveway, honking the horn as he hit the road again. Ronnie closed the door and moved back into her living room, staring at her half-finished beer, which had helped a little bit, setting it on the sink before grabbing her phone on the way to the bathroom.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror for a minute before turning to look at the shower, hooking her hands on the edge of the sweatshirt and pulling it over her head.

Her phone chimed with a notification, and she glanced at it, moving closer when it was a text from an unknown number.

‘I’m just finishing up a consultation, so I’ll come over to grab you soon, so you can get your shit out of my house’

Well… John seemed to be in a pleasant mood. One job and he was in a bad mood.

 _Great_.

He also hadn’t given her any kind of timeline. But surely it would take a while to wrap up a consultation, then get to his house and then get to her house… surely she had at least half an hour?

She nodded confidently, removing her contacts and placing them into their solution, stripping off the sweatpants and folding them along with the sweatshirt and piling them on the bench, before stepping into the shower. The hot water immediately brought back flashbacks of that morning, so real that she could almost feel John’s body against hers.

Heat curled up low in her belly and she groaned loudly. That half a beer had been a **horrible** idea.

She shampooed her hair, trying to distract herself, but her nails dragging across her scalp had her breaking out in goose bumps. Her hands trailed down her body almost of their own accord, nails scraping over already hard nipples.

She moaned wantonly, the sound reverberating off of the tiled shower walls.

She slammed a fist against the tiles, biting her lip as she felt the heat burning her core, demanding attention. Her breath shuddered, and her hands slithered down, starting to delicately swirl her fingers over her over sensitive sex.

Her moans echoed throughout the bathroom, and her fingers moved faster.

She froze completely as she heard tires on the gravel of her driveway.

 _Fucking John Seed._ He had the worst possible timing; she whimpered softly at the thought of his name, and then cursed herself, before slamming the water off and yanking the towel off the rack, running to her bedroom while dragging the towel over herself in an attempt to dry off.

She heard the front door get thrown open, and a soft curse before a bellow of “WHAT HAPPENED TO LOCKING YOUR **FUCKING DOOR** , DEPUTY?!”

She grunted as she ripped on a pair of underwear, “Just wait out there, John, I’ll be there in a second!”

His growl rippled down the hallway, along with his footsteps. Ronnie let out a continuous string of curses as she tugged on an olive sports bra and hauled on a pair of denim shorts, just as John poked his head around the corner.

“Oh, you were dressing, apologies,” he didn’t sound at all apologetic, “Why didn’t you say as much? _Or lock your front door_?”

Ronnie threw a relaxed, over-sized grey shirt on and frowned at him, “I’m not gonna start locking my door just cause you tell me to, John. And I told you to wait out there”

John looked her up and down intently, starting briefly at her chest, nipples still alert and visible through the shirt, before examining her flushed cheeks and disheveled hair.

His smirk spread slowly across his lips, “Having a nice shower, sinner?”

Rook barely suppressed the shudder and glared at him, “None of your business, creep. Come on, let’s just go get my stuff” She stormed past him, snatching up her glasses and scooping up a pair of socks and boots, ducking into the bathroom and quickly placing her towel back on its rack before heading out the door, John following behind her.

He locked the door as he closed it behind him, beaming at her as she glared at him form next to his truck. He tapped next to his eyes, indicating her glasses, “I didn’t realize you wore glasses? They look nice”. She jumped into his truck and started tugging on her socks and sliding her feet into her boots, ignoring his comment. John hopped into the drivers’ seat and pulled out of the driveway towards his ranch. “So, you’re obviously feeling better. You have a.... _healthy_ _glow_ about you” He remarked, one eyebrow raised suggestively.

He definitely knew. Rook didn’t know how he knew, but she knew that he definitely knew what she’d been doing in the shower.

She grunted and pat down her hair, “I bounce back well from a hangover,” she looked over to him, “And I had another half a beer. Really helps dull the senses”

He grinned wickedly, “One of many things one can do to relax, of course. You must have a lot of ways to relax, _Deputy_ ”

Ronnie stared at him, a small frown on her face as John drove. He grinned gleefully, almost laughing as he drove on, occasionally glancing in her direction.

After a few minutes of staring at him silently, Ronnie finally opened her mouth and spoke, her voice soft and reasonable, “Pratt told me to be nicer to you. You’re making that difficult, John”

John gleeful grin was quickly replaced by a wicked smirk, “You _should_ be nicer to me, Sinner. I could make a lot of things a lot less difficult” He turned to look at her, eyebrows wriggling suggestively, and Ronnie felt her stomach clench at the molten look in his eyes, pupils blown wide.

She bit her lip and his eyes flew to them, only for him to forcibly look back to the road, taking in a deep, shuddering breath.

They sat in silence for a few moments before John cleared his throat, “So why didn’t you finish it?”

Ronnie coughed, stammering out a squeaky “what?!”

John raised an eyebrow, and then smirked again, “The beer, Deputy. Why didn’t you finish the beer?”

“oh,” Ronnie took a deep breath, heart slamming in her chest as relief flooded through her, “I uhh… I dunno, ran out of time, I suppose? You got there earlier than I thought. And it wasn’t sitting well”

“I thought you said you were using it to relax?”

Rook cursed internally, looking out the window in the hopes that John wouldn’t see her blush, “I was _trying_ to use it to relax. I didn’t say it was successful. Maybe if I hadn’t been interrupted, it would have worked”

John chuckled, “You can always try again at the ranch?”

Ronnie’s head snapped to look at him, mouth slightly open in shock.

John stared back at her, eyes burning and knowing, face serious.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea” Ronnie whispered. John blinked, and then shrugged.

“As you wish, Deputy” He turned to focus on the road again, flicking on the radio, rolling the dial until the soft rock notes played softly throughout the vehicle, signalling the end of the conversation.

Ronnie sat silently for a few moments, watching as Johns fingers tapped on the steering wheel in time with the music. Her face softened as her heart calmed and the panic receded, “You can call me by my name, you know? You don’t have to just use Deputy all the time”

John hummed softly, “I just don’t know if ‘Ronnie’ suits you”

Ronnie snorted, “No one else seems to have a problem with it”

“I’m not like everyone else though, am I, Deputy?” Ronnie rolled her eyes at John.

“Whatever, just don’t always call me Deputy. And don’t start calling me Verona,” Ronnie realized her mistake immediately, watching the name wash over John as new information, “You… you didn’t know my name was actually Verona?” she stammered.

Johns grin was predatory, “I do know now though, don’t I, _Verona_?” The way he said her name sent a shudder up her spine that she couldn’t suppress. She grunted and turned to look out the window again as they pulled up towards Johns ranch. She ripped off her seat belt as he pulled up and threw the door open as he brought the car to a stop next to her orange truck.

John took his time getting out of his truck, slowly moving towards the door, making a show of unlocking it, “Oh look, nothing could have been stolen because I locked my door,” he muttered as he dramatically flung the door open, “No intruders here, _because the door was locked_ ”

Ronnie rolled her eyes, stepping through the doorway behind John. He moved quickly, taking the stairs two at a time, while Ronnie waited in the main room, examining the library again. She was glad for the small time alone, as John shuffled around upstairs collecting her things. She stood staring at the bookshelves, berating herself for trying to tell John not to do something – of course he was going to ignore her wishes.

He was John Seed. She’d know him for three weeks and she was already aware of his stubborn nature, his rebellious behavior.

Maybe that was why she felt such a strong pull to him. His stubborn, bull-headed nature was so like her own. Their ability to dig their heels in, even when it got them into trouble. His rebellion against rules he didn’t believe in, couldn’t get behind.

He was a rebellious, passionate lawyer, and she was a rebellious, passionate deputy.

Ronnie considered what Pratt had said before, about how connections just happen. Maybe there was a reason why she was connecting so quickly with John.

She wandered around the room distractedly, until she stumbled across photos of the Seed family. She took them in, smiling softly at the photos of Jacob aiming a rifle, mid hunt, Joseph in front of a church in the rain, arms lifted towards the sky and back to the camera and Faith sitting amid a field of flowers, petals tangled in her hair.

And then her heart stopped at the image of John, leaning against an older muscle car, mouth stretched into a wide, genuine grin, and hands resting lovingly on the bonnet of the car.

Ronnie stared at the image, unknowingly reaching out to rest her fingers on the image. Her nails dragged slowly over the lines of the car before coming to rest next to Johns face, unable to take her eyes off of how relaxed he look, how genuinely happy and carefree he seemed.

She jumped when John spoke behind her, “I love that car… I’ll have to show it to you sometime, once it's back in my possession”

She turned to face him, taking a deep breath when she realized how close he was.

He stared at the photographs, a content smile softening his face, before he turned to look at her, eyes curious. After a moments pause, he passed her an almost empty black duffel bag, which she took quickly, muttering a “Thank you”, and then he passed over her keys.

She stepped back, moving towards the door and John took one last look at the photographs scattered over the wall before following her. She threw the duffel bag into the passenger seat and turned to say goodbye but shut her mouth when she saw him standing back, studying her with his hands resting on his hips. Indecision raged over his face, even as he spoke, “Thank you for staying with me last night… and for talking to me, trusting me with your story… I admit I needed the distraction”

Ronnie smiled at him genuinely, “You’re welcome John. Thank you for,” stammered here, “for looking after me this morning. And sorry for drinking so much” A smile briefly flickered across his face, before it moved back to indecisive.

“Not a problem, Deputy. We may even have to do it again sometime… it was… nice”

Ronnie chuckled and turned to jump into the truck, but paused when she felt John step closer, turning back to his slowly.

Her eyebrows shot up when he was standing right in front of her again, and her heart stopped when his hand came to rest on her cheek. He hesitated briefly, and she found herself staring into his blue, blue eyes, brow furrowing at the vulnerable look her gave her.

And then he leaned in, softly touching his lips to hers in a gentle kiss.

He backed away quickly, turning on his heel and walking back to his front door, throwing his hand up in farewell, “See you around, Verona”

Ronnie wanted to ask questions, but John slammed the door shut behind him. She stayed there for a moment, hands coming up to rest on her lips, almost not sure that he had actually kissed her. She stood there for a minute, statue still, heart slamming against her chest.

As she slowly started to turn to get into the car, the door flew open again, and John was striding towards her purposefully with long, angry strides. She heard him growl “fucking Sinner” under his breath as she stared at him, unable to move.

He surged towards her, both hands coming up to rest on her cheeks, holding her in place as he brought his lips to hers again, this time nothing like the gentle, barely there kiss he had offered before.

His lips smashed into her, rough and needy, his whole body smashing into her, joining them from chest to knee as she was forced onto her tip toes to maintain contact. She was stock still for the briefest of moments, before her hands flew up to rest on his biceps, her lips moving against his carelessly. She couldn’t hold back the breathy moan as his teeth came forward to tease her bottom lip, tongue darting out to sooth the sting. Her knees shook as his tongue flicked forward to join her own, sliding across each other wantonly. He moaned, hands moving from her cheeks, trailing along her arms and grabbing her wrists in a vice grip, ripping her hands from his arms and forcing them back behind her head and pinning them against the truck.

His hands clenched her wrists so hard that it was almost painful, and Rook couldn’t help the high pitched, breathy moan that escaped her, shuddering when he pressed against her harder, her leg lifting to wrap around his in search of friction. He groaned before pulling back slowly, hands still burning against her wrists, and bringing his forehead to rest against hers.

Both of them were panting, chests heaving as they drew in deep breaths, the air between them super charged and mingling. Ronnie’s glasses threatened to fog up, and she smirked sweetly, about to open her mouth to tease him.

Johns eyes shot open, his hands released her wrists suddenly and he took a step back, his face quickly contorted into barely contained fury, and Rook wasn’t sure whether she should be afraid, or more turned on. “Don’t tempt me like this again, Sinner” he growled dangerously, and he spun on his heel again, storming back into his home without looking back at her.

Ronnie took a few moments, again, to catch her breath, feeling more confused than she was before. Music started to blare from inside the ranch, and the sound of things being thrown around inside. Ronnie jumped when there was a loud crash and the shattering of glass, which seemed to break the spell over her, and she jumped into her truck.

She took one look back at the ranch before driving away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EEEYYYOOOOOOOOOO  
> THEY KISSED!!! WWWOOOOOOOOO!!  
> (and then John ruined it and got angry.... although is it really ruined???)
> 
> ANYWAY, Thank you to everyone for still reading, and I hope you're still enjoying it!  
> Thank you for your comments and Kudos, they are MUCH appreciated, lets me know I'm on the right track :)
> 
> Anyway, coming up, Ronnie hides, John hides, we all hide, and Kim laughs at everyone.
> 
> Thank you lovely people,  
> Jamdrop,  
> xxoo.


	8. Playing in the Puddles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What you got goin' on   
> Behind those eyes closed, holdin' on   
> I don't want another day to break   
> Take our, steal our night away   
> Warm shadow   
> Warm shadow   
> Won't you cast yourself on me   
> What you got in store for me   
> Keep those eyes closed, next to me
> 
> Warm Shadows - Fink
> 
> Disclaimer - I don't own Far Cry, or anything affiliated with it. I only own Ronnie :)

Ronnie avoided John for the next week, throwing herself into work, working longer hours than required of her, and volunteering to do any, and all, jobs that required her to be away from home. When she was at home, she struggled to sleep, confusion making her brain tick over constantly, and every noise she heard outside the house jolting her wide awake.

Not that John was seeking her out. In fact, John was avoiding her too, and was, by all accounts, in a feral mood; tight lipped, sullen and quick to enrage.

Staci tried to talk to Ronnie about what had happened, but she shrugged it off, smiling and running out the door for a job. He also tried getting Jacob to talk to John about it, but Jacob had come back with a frown, remaining tight lipped. Whitehorse seemed concerned by Thursday that she would wear herself out, but she assured him that she was fine. Pratt spoke to Whitehorse privately on Thursday morning and he stopped sending her out on extra jobs, making sure she was out the door by 5.

Nick and Kim tried to talk to both of them after John had become intolerable, and Ronnie had almost fallen asleep at their dinner table on Thursday night. They got a glare and growl from John, and a yawn and dismissive hand wave from Ronnie.

Saturday morning saw Ronnie at the F.A.N.G. centre, playing with Cheeseburger and helping to clean up his enclosure, but the large bear fell sleep around midday and Wade told he probably wouldn’t wake up for a few hours.

She sat in her truck and twiddled her thumbs before shrugging and making her way over to the Rye house. She pulled into the driveway, happily jumping out as Kim opened the door with a wide smile. Ronnie jumped up the stairs to meet her, greeting her with a large hug before dropping to a crouch in front of her round tummy, “Hey Peanut, you being good? You keeping your mother up? I’ve brought you a gift… sort of,” She stood up, “pass me your phone, I made a playlist for her”

Kim laughed and handed over her phone before guiding Rook inside, slowly plonking herself down on the couch, “Will you please drink a beer for me? I’m **really** feeling it today and need to live vicariously”.

Rook laughed, grabbing a beer from the fridge and falling into the couch next to Kim, “Where’s Nick?”

Kim shrugged, “Up in the air, where else?” Ronnie chuckled, swigging her beer as she snatched the large headphones off of the coffee table, plugging them into Kim’s phone and setting the headset over the other woman’s protruding stomach, pressing play on the playlist. Kim sighed, leaning back in the couch and sipping her water, “I think you’re more excited for this kid than even John is”

Ronnie tensed at his name, and Kim noticed, “Come on Ronnie, just tell us what happened”

Ronnie rolled her eyes, “Nothing happened Kim, seriously, nothing”

Kim raised an eyebrow, “Yeah, nothing, that’s why you’ve both been avoidant, prickly and volatile since Monday. Staci told me that you got drunk with him on Sunday. Now, I’m not normally one to pry but I’m worried about you, Ronnie, and about John. You’re both good people, and good friends, even though we’ve only known you a short amount of time, and you’re both clearly distressed about something”

Ronnie sighed, cracking her knuckles as she heard Nick’s plane fly overhead, winding down as he approached to land, “Kim, you’re one of my best friends already, even though I’ve only been here a month. I don’t… I don’t really understand what happened and I think it’s best if I at least talk to John first before I tell anyone about what happened… just so I can understand what actually did happen?”

Kim sighed, “Okay, Ronnie… just talk to him soon… avoiding him for a week clearly isn’t working for either of you”

Rook sighed, running her hands through her hair, nodding. Kim picked up her phone, inspecting the playlist with a chuckle, “What is all this?”

Ronnie grinned, “I’m introducing Peanut to K-Pop” Kim laughed, and the two girls spoke about the playlist until they heard footsteps on the stairs, approaching the front door. Ronnie grinned over her shoulder, expecting it to be Nick.

She shot back down, hiding as much as she could on the couch, as John threw the door open and sauntered in, Nick close behind, “You’re such a pussy, Nick”

“I’ve got a kid on the way, fuck knuckle, I’m not gonna take any stupid risks”

“It was hardly a risk, Rye”

“It was a huge risk and you damned well know it,” Nick stepped out of the doorway, and moved to kiss him wife on the cheek, “Hi honey, hi Ronnie”

Ronnie saw John freeze as he stood with the fridge open and she glared at Kim, “Hey Nick. Kim didn’t tell me you had company, I was just heading off. Enjoy the playlist Kim,” she stood and put a hand on Kim’s tummy briefly, “bye peanut, Nick… John” she tipped her head to him and then ran out the door, practically diving into her truck.

She paused briefly to evaluate whether she was running away, but the memory of the growl in his voice when she had left on Sunday had been a clear warning, so she had decided to leave it up to John to let her know it was safe to be around him again.

She didn’t want to go home yet, considering it was only just after midday. She called Sharky, who picked up just as the phone was about to ring out, “Yo!”

“Hey Sharky, you got any plans this afternoon?”

“Uhhh,” a brief silence, and Ronnie could almost see Sharky rubbing the back of his neck and readjusting his ever-present baseball cap, “Nothing that extra company will ruin?”

Ronnie paused, eyes narrowing slightly, “even if that company is a Hope County Deputy?”

Sharky coughed suspiciously, “Uhh… No? I mean… it’s fine, just come around…. It’ll be fine”

Ronnie chuckled, “Okay, Boshaw, I’ll be there in ten”

“Awesome, awesome. See you soon Chika” Ronnie hung up, grinning. Hanging out with Sharky could almost guarantee distraction for the rest of the evening.

* * *

 

Sharky delivered, having set up a small racing course and acquired two ATV’s, plenty of home brew moonshine and a BBQ dinner. Ronnie didn’t head home until after midnight.

She still got up early to go to church on Sunday morning, something she had been nervous about since realising this was the one place that John was guaranteed to be and she would have limited chances of avoiding him.

But maybe he was ready to see her….

She sighed as she got out of the shower, dressing in a modest floral red dress, tugging on a white cardigan and soft white flats. She delicately applied a bit of makeup and pinned her hair back with hair clips adorned with small white flowers. It had gotten so long now that it tickled the collar of her uniform, and she still wasn’t sure if she wanted to cut it again; she’d worn her hair short for over ten years now, perhaps it was time for a change.

She sighed as she took once last look at herself in the mirror, saying a quick prayer for her brother and parents, touching her elbow lightly when she thought of Matty, before grabbing up her keys and heading out.

The church was as packed as last week, and she happily joined Whitehorse, Pratt and Hudson, stopping briefly to talk to Nick and Kim. Faith approached them, skipping happily, pulling them all into a quick hug.

“Thank you again for everything you did last week, and rest assured, all is well again” She smiled sweetly to them and headed into the church.

Hudson shook her head, “I still don’t get what the hell happens with that family” she muttered quietly, and Whitehorse shrugged.

“It’s done now. I spoke with Joseph last week and it’s all under wraps, for the moment. We’ll deal with it if it comes up again, but she’s safe for the moment”

Hudson grunted in agreement and turned to follow Whitehorse into the church, Pratt and Ronnie following in turn. As per last week, the Seed family was sitting at the front, and Whitehorse stood at the back of the church while the deputies sat off the far side about half way up the church.

“Does Whitehorse ever switch off? It’s been a month and he’s always watching, waiting for something” Ronnie asked quietly of the other deputies while the rest of the church settled.

Pratt snorted, “Nah, he’s always like that. That’s why we don’t think there’s a chance of him retiring next year”

Hudson nodded, “As Sheriff, he has more responsibility than we do. He considers the entire County to be family, and he’s worked here for so long they basically **are** family. He cares for them all so much, and it’s his job to keep them safe. He can’t relax because he thinks if he does, he’ll miss something, and someone will get hurt”

Ronnie took in Joeys’ words, nodding slowly as she absorbed them. Of course, it made total sense, but it made Ronnie a little bit sad. “I hope he at least takes care of himself… takes some time for himself”

Hudson snorted, “Don’t worry about that – He normally spends Wednesday and Sunday nights with Dutch, and Saturdays are spent fishing. He knows how to look after himself”

Pastor Jerome stood at the front and brought a hush over the church.

His sermon today was about lust.

Ronnie saw Joseph turn to look at her, his blue eyes, so like Johns and yet so different, holding hers with a sincerity that almost shocked her. He nodded to her, one soft movement of his head, before turning back and giving the Pastor his complete attention.

Ronnie stared at the back of his head for a few moments, confused and a little shaken, but managed to turn her attention back to Pastor Jerome just as he spoke from the book of James, “but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desires and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death”. She didn’t realise she was staring at John until he twitched, tensing visibly, turning ever so slightly towards Jacob, who took no notice of him.

Jerome continued to speak of the importance resisting desire, and building meaningful, loving relationships instead.

He softened visibly when he spoke from Corinthians, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record or wrongs”, and finished with the book of Peter, “Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love, real true love, covers a multitude of sins”

Ronnie’s eyes drifted from Jerome as everyone clapped, and she stood to follow everyone out, swiftly saying farewell to her fellow deputies and the Rye family, nodding to Whitehorse as she quickly ducked out of the church, eager to avoid the Seed family – mostly she didn’t want Joseph to stare at her with those intense eyes again.

She had just managed to get into her truck and put her hand on the handle to open the door, when a hand slammed against the door, blocking her from opening it, and a body crowded her from behind. She spun around, ready to bark out a ‘back the fuck up’, but it died in her throat when she found John staring at her conflictedly.

“Oh… John… hi” she managed to stutter out. She cursed herself for acting like this, but it wasn’t her fault that all she could think about was how he had kissed her, and how nice his body had felt pushed up against hers.

She cursed herself again and felt a wave of guilt when she realised that Jerome had _just_ delivered a sermon about lust.

John looked at her expectantly, and she realised she’d been caught up in her own head and missed what he’d said. “What?” she asked, dumbly.

Another internal curse.

“ _I said_ ,” John growled, “What are you doing Wednesday night?”

Ronnie’s eyebrows flung up into her hairline, and she felt the blood start rushing to her cheeks as she stammered, “Oh… uh… Nothing, I think?”

Johns hand withdrew from the door of her truck, and he crossed his arms, “Good. I’ll pick you up around 6”

Ronnie’s brows now furrowed, and she bit her bottom lip in confusion, but stopped when he glared at her lips, “Pick me up for what?”

He grinned now, very pleased with himself, “Presumably dinner, that’s what most people do around 6 o’clock on a Wednesday night”

Ronnie was confused – was he asking her out on a _date_? _Was this a date_? – and just nodded stupidly, “oh, okay. Sure… Cool… see you Wednesday night”

“At 6” John said, nodding quickly before turning on his heels and re-joining his family. Jacob was staring at her with one eyebrow raised, but a small hint of a smile that made her feel a bit better, until Joseph turned to look at her.

She hurriedly turned away and jumped into her truck.

She cracked her knuckles as she pulled away from Falls End.

“What the fuck just happened?” she asked herself.

* * *

 

She called her sister when she got home, relaxing on the couch as she listened to her only remaining family talk about all the issues with the wedding, letting her own problems and confusions melt away.

“You’re going to walk me down the aisle, aren’t you?” Ronnie blanched at her baby sisters query.

“I…what? What?”

Georgia continued on, a little hesitant now, “Well, you know, you’re the only family I’ve got left. You’re the only one who can give me away,” Ronnie’s eyes shuttered closed and her heart broke for the millionth time for her baby sister, “If you do it for me, I’ll do it for you!” Georgia continued on when Ronnie had obviously been silent for too long.

“Of course I’ll walk you down the aisle, silly, of course I will. Duckie, I’m so sorry I didn’t think of it”

She heard her little sister squeal happily, “No, no, don’t apologise,” Ronnie pulled the phone away from her ear as Georgia started to yell, “Henry! She said she’s do it! It’s all organised!” Ronnie put the phone back to her ear when her sister talked at a normal volume again, “And you haven’t gained any weight, have you? Cause I got your dress today, the one you tried on two months ago. You’re not pregnant or anything? It’s totally fine if you are! Did you find a date for the wedding? You’ve still got two weeks! But you don’t need to bring anyone, don’t stress! Henry has invited all of his attractive friends, obviously, and there are plenty that are single!”

Ronnie waited for her sisters’ tangent to end, “No, Duckie, not pregnant, no date, haven’t put on any weight, and again, I don’t want to be set up with any of your fiancés’ friends. I adore Henry, I really do, but I’m just not interested in guys who are my baby sisters age”

“I’m only six years younger than you! And why aren’t you worried about not being pregnant yet?! I’m gonna be pregnant soon! _Oh my god we could actually do that thing we always wanted to do where we have kids at the same time!_ ”

Ronnie rested her head in her spare hand, “Georgie, **you** were the one who wanted to have kids at the same time. I don’t even know if I want kids. And besides, in order to have kids, you need to have sex, and lord knows I haven’t done that since…” Ronnie groaned, “Jesus, it’s been fucking three months” She splattered herself back on the couch as Georgia gasped.

“Verona. Cassia. Maxwell. You are a hot, smart, funny young woman. You should be out there getting some. Aren’t you living in a small, rural county? Aren’t there plenty of young, attractive country cowboys out there, in desperate need of a wife?”

Ronnie laughed, “No more reality TV for you, Duckie,” she shrugged, thinking of John, Jacob, Nick, Staci and Sharky, “Although, I mean… there are a few attractive guys out here”

“DUDE. YES. SPILL. I told you to send me photos! What’re their names, I’m gonna facebook stalk them”

Ronnie laughed, “No, Duckie, I’m not letting you cyber stalk these people. If you want wanna see them, you’ll have to come out here and meet them”

“Well actually,” Georgia started, and Ronnie groaned, “I was thinking,”

“Oh dear god, don’t do that, Georgia” Ronnie interrupted her, but her younger sister shushed her harshly.

“Very funny, V, but I was thinking, I’ve got a few days off, I could fly to you, and we could road trip back here. Like that time we did the road trip when I went to college? It’ll be so much fun!”

Ronnie considered it for a moment, listening to her sister talk about the road trip they had taken from Phoenix to San Francisco when she had started college, taking three days to do the twelve hour trip. She could hear the pleading in her sisters voice, and knew that, like always, she would cave and give her sister what she wanted.

That didn’t mean she couldn’t have fun with it.

“I dunno, Duckie, it’s almost 24 hours from here to San Fran if we drive… we’d have to leave really early in the morning, and we’d eat so much crap and you’d probably gain like five pounds and then not fit into your wedding dress… is it a good idea?”

“We won’t eat just crap, we’ll stop at fresh fruit stores and drink lots of water and orange juice and, and, and we’ll do it in two days, so it won’t take too long, and I promise it’ll be fun! I’ll fly in on Sunday morning, and we can leave early on Monday morning”

Ronnie chuckled, rolling her eyes, but even as she spoke the words “Okay” her sister was squealing. There was a clatter as the phone was obviously dropped and more squealing in the background. Ronnie could hear her sister jumping up and down, and then the sound of the phone being picked up.

“Verona? It’s Henry, Georgiana is a little bit… excited. How are you?” Henry spoke so properly it would have been impossible for Ronnie to confuse him for anyone else even if he had forgotten to introduce himself. He was also one of the few people who she allowed to call her by her full name.

“Hey Henry, I’m good thank you. How are you? Excited for everything? Dealing with my sister OK? She isn’t being too crazy with everything, is she?”

Henry chuckled, “I’m good thank you, fairly busy planning the last few things for the wedding, but still excited. My parents fly in from Tokyo on Wednesday, so that is going to be its own little drama. She’s been a handful, but nothing I can’t handle. And, we both know, I happen to think she’s quite cute when she’s excited,” he pulled the phone away as he addressed his fiancé, “Yes, of course I’m talking about you, G. Yes, you are so a handful. Anyway, Verona, it’s been lovely talking to you, rest assured that the wedding is still going ahead. I will see you next Wednesday most likely. Stay safe out there, sister-in-law”

And then the phone was passed back to her little sister, where they planned the finer details, and Ronnie agreed to plan their route back to San Francisco, and Georgia promised to fly in very early on Sunday morning so that they would still make it to church. When they finally hung up, Ronnie sighed tiredly, chuckling softly.

What an interesting week she had coming up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo, yay a quick update. Woo.
> 
> So, I'm trying to write John a bit unpredictable, a bit aloof, and a bit all over the place. Just cause what happened in game isn't happening, doesn't change his past, or any of their pasts, obviously. So they're still all a little messed up - a lot messed up - just that Joseph didn't go down the cult path. So John is still a bit crazy, and a bit masochistic, and a bit unmanageable. But we love him for it.  
> Please tell me if you feel he isn't coming acrross correctly!
> 
> Also, please tell me if you pick up on any errors :)
> 
> Thank you for your beautiful comments, and for reading and still following :)  
> Have a lovely day everyone!
> 
> Much love, Jamdrop.  
> xxoo.


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